The Truth isn't What You Think
by ChaoticNightofFlames
Summary: Snape is sent to check up on Harry and finds him beaten and raped by his muggle relatives. While they struggle to get through without killing each other, Harry will learn that the Dark Lord might not be what he thinks. Bad Dumbles SSHH 37 new. New Beta YAY
1. trails of blood

Well this is my first harry Potter fanfic and to be honest its only the third yaoi I've written so I hope you can bear with me.

I will spell check my work however my grammar sucks so there will probably be errors. I'm Sorry. Feel free to point any problems out to me.

And yes I know that the story is a bit cliche however I intend to add some interesting twists.

Disclaimer- I don't not own Harry Potter J. K. Rowling does which is why Severus hasn't jumped Harry. This story contains homosexual relationships, violence, cursing and rape. Don't like it don't read it.

The loud crack of leather against bare skin filled the room as the large, incredibly obese man beat down on the pale form of a young man curled up on the floor of a dark clutter-filled room. Tears streamed from brilliant green eyes and long lines of torn skin dripped blood, a startling contrast to the to white skin covered in dark bruises, as belt was driven again and again across his back leaving even more trails of blood in its wake. Despite the brutal beatings, the young man released only the slightest whimper, denying the other man the pleasure of hearing him scream. His wrist was cradled against his body swollen and purple, broken after several vicious kicks. His malnourished body was interlaced with scars some old and faded others only half healed.

At last the man laid down the belt. He smirked down at the pitiful body and started to undo his pants unto his large cock sprung free. The young man shivered uncontrollably as he prepared himself for what came next. The man forced his legs apart and tore off the ragged pants revealing slim legs covered in cuts. Without any preparation he forced himself into the tight body struggling beneath his weight. He thrusted brutally into the younger man tearing him apart. Blood streamed down the white legs. Finally the pain and blood loss became to much and the young man slipped into darkness as his body was mercilessly used.

Okay this is the first time I've written about rape. I hope it was okay. Sorry about how short it is. It isn't really suppose to be a chapter more like a taste of what kind of story this is. I promise my next one will be much longer.


	2. Snape's Fustration

Same disclaimers. Hope like this chapter it's a little bit longer.

Harry Potter awoke on the floor of the cupboard under the stairs. Everything ached. For a second he continued to lie there. Sighing, he at last forced his protesting body up, ignoring the searing pain, knowing that he had chores to do and that his uncle would only beat him again if they weren't done. He hesitantly opened the cupboard door and looked around. Luckily the house was empty. Relieved he slipped out and stumbled toward the bathroom.

Quickly he entered the shower and washed away the dried blood wincing in pain. Gently he cleaned the cuts. Feeling a bit more human he left the warm relaxing shower and dried himself off. Quickly he changed into a pair of pants and a shirt that where way too big for him. They had been hand-me-downs from his whale of a cousin Dudley. Painfully he trudged down the stairs and into the kitchen to start his list of chores, the first of which was washing the floors.

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"I refuse," Snape hissed as he paced the room his black robes swirling around him. The headmaster sighed as he watched the frustrated potion master fight to control his temper from behind his cherry wood desk. They were both in the headmaster's office, alone thanks to the fact that it was summer vacation and everyone else had left. Despite the fact that the office's resident had no taste what so ever, which was apparent in the dark blue robe covered in hearts, the room itself was quite elegant with its polished wood furniture, red carpeting, and plush crimson curtains with gold lining. There was even a globe in one corner.

"I will absolutely not go check-up on that spoiled rotten little brat," he snapped, stopping to glare at the headmaster, eyes twinkling. Sighing he wondered whether or not to offer Severus a lemon drop. His hand inched towards the blue bowl sitting on his desk filled with candy, when Snape noticed and snarled. Okay, maybe not, Dumbledore thought as he quickly pulled back his hand.

"He hasn't written in three days, my boy." Dumbledore pointed out softly, completely ignoring the death glare Snape sent him. His normally twinkling blue eyes were worried.

"He probably went on a action with those muggle relatives of his and is no doubt to busy being pampered and worshiped to bother remembering something so insignificant as bother to write to us. " Snape sneered, " Spoiled, arrogant brat doesn't care about whether the rest of us are worried for safety. After all he's bloody Harry Potter the boy-who-lived-to-be-a-pain." Snape ranted.

"Never the less you are going to check on him." the headmaster said tiredly. Snape started to protest. "There is too much at stake, my boy, to risk it." he said cutting Snape off. Defeated with the truth in that statement Snape nodded sharply once and turned and left the office.

Muttering death threats if this turned out to be a waste of time he quickly left the school grounds and disappeared with a faint pop.

Yeah second chapter is done. Do you like it, hate it. Tell me... Otherwise I'll send Voldie after you.


	3. Is this the End?

Chapter 3

Far too soon for Harry, his relatives returned home. His Aunt arrived first, from a visit to one of the neighbor's, a horrid woman by the name of Margret. She glared at Harry when she entered the room he had been dusting, but otherwise she left him alone much to his relief. His cousin Dudley showed up next, more because he was hungry then an actual desire to be home. He shoved Harry as he passed by, causing the teen to fall to the ground and almost knock over a blue lamp.

His mother hugged him as soon as he entered the living room. Sighing Harry stood up and watched as Dudley squirmed in his mother's arms and demand food. His stomach grumbled at the mention and Harry prayed that he would finally be able to get some scraps that evening. It would be the first time in three days.

All hope of food flew out of his mind as his Uncle stormed into the house slamming the door behind him. Blood vessels throbbed in his temple and his face was red with anger. Harry cringed and tried to blend into the wall, to no avail. His uncle went straight for him.

"You freak! Isn't it bad enough we have to deal with your ungrateful presence and your weirdness? No you filthy freak, you had to go and get me fired." Vern bellowed slapping Harry across the face. Harry whimpered in dread.

"Not in here Vernon. Somebody will see you." Aunt Petunia hissed frantically. Vernon nodded and grabbed Harry by the arm and forcefully dragged him upstairs. They entered the spare bedroom holding Dudley's old toys and broken junk.

Another slap sent Harry flying across the room. He gasped as his body knocked against the wall and caused pain to throb up his broken wrist. Many of his wounds reopened and blood started to stain his clothes. Uncle Vernon's foot lashed out and he kicked Harry repeatedly in the stomach, breaking a few ribs.

Suddenly his Uncle spun around and left the room. Gasping in pain, Harry felt relief wash through him, only to be shattered a second later as his Uncle reentered the room with a sharp kitchen knife in hand. Harry's eyes widen in shock. Was he going to die? He thought as terror filled him.

"Strip," his Uncle demanded. Terrified Harry did as he was told, afraid that he would make his Uncle even more furious if he refused. When his clothes were in a pile on the floor his Uncle grabbed him and forced him onto his hands and knees. Quickly he undid his pants allowing his hard cock to slip free. Brutally he shoved himself into Harry's body and started to thrust.

"Oh god, so tight." Vernon moaned as he continued to rape his nephew causing Harry to gasp and cry in pain. Finally his Uncle came, shooting his seed into the torn passage causing it to burn. He pulled out sated and wiped his bloody cock on Harry's clothes.

"You won't be needing these any more, whore." his Uncle sneered dropping the dirty clothes and grabbed the knife he had dropped in his passion. Harry tried to flee but his body refused to move and he almost blacked out due to the pain. Carefully almost gently his Uncle brought the knife down to his skin and started to carve into the flesh of his back. Despite the pain Harry became aware of the fact that his Uncle was carving the word freak into his skin.

Harry slowly fell into unconcern's wondering if the glorious numbing darkness meant this was the end for him.

****

It was twilight when Snape reached Number Four Privet Drive. He sneered at the perfect lawn and white-washed house that was identical to all the others on the block. Sighing he walked up and rapped sharply on the blue door. A horse-like woman opened the door.

"I'm looking for Harry Potter. I'm one of his teachers from Hogwarts and I'm here to check-up on him." he sneered. Much to Snape's surprise the woman paled and stepped back.

"No one by that name lives here," she gasped and tried to slam the door in Snape's face. Fortunately he managed to slip his foot between the door and was able to force it open. She stared at him in shock for a second then turned and ran into the living room. Sighing for probably the hundredth time that day Snape stepped into the hallway lined with pictures, shutting the door behind him.

Frowning he stared at the pictures. Something nagged at the edge of his mind. Startled he realized the there wasn't a single picture of Harry Potter among the horde. Something wasn't right here. His train of thought was cut off suddenly as a large red-faced man barreled into the hall.

"Look here you, get out of my house this instant," the man, no doubt Potter's Uncle, bellowed, shaking his fist. Almost lazily Snape drew his wand and pointed it at the man's face. Much to his amusement Potter's Uncle cringed visibly and stepped back. Keeping his wand in hand he started to search the house.

Several minutes later he started to feel frustrated and though on willing to admit it worried. Not only could he not find Potter, there was no sign what-so-ever that he even lived there. If it wasn't for the fact that he could sense the faint traces of magic around the house he would have thought he had the wrong place. It seemed the only residents of the god forsaken place where the two Muggles and there whale of a son who he had found sleeping in a bed surrounded by piles of junk. The boy had run screaming from the room clutching his butt and now hid behind his parents. Frustrated Snape returned to the living room where they cowered.

"Where is he?" Snape hissed glaring at the muggles. None of them answered however the horse woman glanced at the cupboard under the stairs lined with looks. Puzzled Snape turned to look at it in surprise. It couldn't be could it he wonder in shock. He strolled over and with a flick of his wand unlocked the door which swung open.

The smell of stale sex and blood hit his nose. It kept all his will to keep from throwing up. Without thinking he cast lumos. The light revealed Harry Potter lying naked in a pool of his own blood. His whole body was covered in bruises and cuts and much to Snape's horror the words whore and freak were carved into his flesh still bleed.

Yeah a cliffy. I hate reading them but there actually fun to write.

You all made me so happy with you reviews. In less then 2 days I already had five on my first chapter and it was only 400 words. I almost cried. This chapter is a bit longer then the first two.

Okay now here's a question do you guys want good voldie, bad dumbles or bad voldie, good dumbles. Its up to you. I have ideas for both. Please r&r


	4. Help at last

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. Now quit depressing me.

Sorry I took so long I had a math test and a speech to do at school. Got to love homework. Between that, my job and a dentist appointment (hell) I've been busy.

It seems no one likes poor dumbles so this Fanfic will be a good voldie story. Thanks for your votes.

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**Chapter 4**

Swiftly Snape went to Harry's side. He brought his fingers to the bruised wrist and was relieved to find a faint pulse. The boy was still alive, barely. Reaching into his robes he pulled out several potions. Gently he tilted Potter's head back and poured them down his throat wishing he had brought more powerful healing potions instead of the weaker ones he normally carried. Once the boy had swallowed them, he cast several healing to stop the bleeding and stabilize him to the best of his ability.

Despite the potions and the spells Severus knew that he didn't have a lot of time. Harry needed more help then he could give and he needed it immediately or he wasn't going to make it. The fact that he was still alive was a miracle in its self. Carefully he pulled of his robe and wrapped it around Harry's slim figure. As delicately as possible he lift the boy in his arms and cradled him against his chest.

Quickly he left the cupboard and stepped into the living room. Seeing the muggles cowering he glared at them. the aroma of piss filled the room. White hot anger filled him as he stared down at the bused boy in his arms. How dare they do this to a child. Desire to make them pay for their crimes cloud his thoughts for a second before he recalled the boy in his arms. They would have to wait. Getting help for Harry was more important.

"I promise you I'll be back. You will pay for what you've done." Snape hissed looking murderous wishing he could kill them were they stood. Turning he left the house and walked swiftly to the edge of the wards and apparenated.

Reappearing in Hogsmeade he rushed towards Hogwarts holding Potter securely in his arms. Never before had the distance between Hogwarts and Hogsmeade seemed so far and he cursed the fact that the muggles weren't connected by Floo. Finally he reached the castle gates. His magic responding to his desperation slammed the huge wooden doors open. He ran quickly to the infirmary feeling harry's breathing become even fainter. He was starting to fade. Placing him on a bed as gently as possible he swiftly fire-called Poppy.

Poppy was sitting by the fire enjoying a good book on the effects of mixing different haling spells when Severus appeared in te fire place. Instead of his normal black robe he was wearing a white long sleeved shirt with buttons down the middle and a pair of black leather pants. Even more shocking then his clothes was the desperation and fear that had overridden his normal emotionless mask.

"Poppy, Potter is in the hospital ward severely injured. he needs help immediately Severus said panic edging his normally husky voice. Poppy stood up and Severus stepped back out of the fire place.

Potter injured! Poppy's eyes widened as she realized that things would have to be really bad if Severus needed more then healing potions and basic spell that he could administer himself. Quickly she rushed to the fire place and grabbed some of the silver dust sitting in a pot on the top of the black marble fireplace and threw it into the flames. They flared silver and stepped into the flames and called out "Hogwarts infirmary".

Severus was kneeling beside a bed where the fragile pale form of potter lay wrapped in his robe. Stepping closer horror filled her as she saw the long red cuts and the dark purple bruises littering the boy's body. Drawing her wand she cast a quick medical scan. A list of injuries appeared before her. Fear rand through her as she read the list. There were several places where the bones had been broken and there was a great deal of internal bleeding. His inner rectum had been torn up a distinct sign of rape. The boy was barely holding onto life.

"Severus I need you to give him a healing potion, a blood replacing potion and a pain-killer." Poppy commanded Severus nodded and went to draw several glass bottles out of a nearby cabinet. He carefully poured them down Harry's throat forcing him to swallow. Poppy nodded and reached for her wand. Quickly she wove several complex healing spells around the boy. Another spell reset his bones.

"Now give him the skelo-grow potion. she said ss she headed toward a table containing different potions and medicines. Once again Severus administrated the boy a potion.. Poppy returned a bottle of salve in hand.

"Here," Poppy said "spread this on his wounds," she told him handing him the bottle which contained an extremely powerful salve. Spinning the top off Severus spread a large helping of the salve on Harry's chest. Slowly massaging the salve into the wounds he moved to the boy's arms then his legs. Finally he carefully with the help of a levitating spell flipped the boy over. He then proceeded to lather the boys back paying special attention to the words carved into his back. Hopefully the salve would keep them from scaring.

Hesitantly he pulled the robe back to reveal the perk white butt. Coating a finger in a generous helping of salve he gently worked his finger into the shredded hole, massaging the tense muscles, trying to ignore how good the warmth felt wrapped around his finger. After longer the probably necessary, not that he would ever admit it, he withdrew. Once again he wrapped Harry in his robes . Frowning he drew his wand and transfigured the robe into a pair of lose fitting green pajamas. Another levitation spell turned him back around so that he would be more comfortable.

Sighing Severus grabbed a nearby chair and dragged it over to the bed. Gently he ran his fingers through the ebony locks feeling strangely helpless. Quietly Poppy sat down in another chair and they prepared themselfs for a long night. Hopefully one which Harry would get through.

In another room inside the castle Dumbledore sat at his desk considering the best way to salvage this situation. Unfortunately the abuse which he used to make the boy grateful to him for rescuing him each year and he had been forced to send Severus. He couldn't avoid to lose his prize pawn yet. Not now, he still needed Potter. Running his hands through his long white beard he stared at the picture that hung before him showing Potter lying in the infirmary. Suddenly a thought struck him and his eyes started to twinkle evilly. Fawkes glanced at his master and trilled unhappily and drew as far away from the scheming old man as possible.

Back in the infirmary another person was also considering the situation. Severus Snape was horrified by Potter's treatment. Instead of being spoiled and pampered the boy's childhood was much like his andthe dark lords had been. Gently running his finger's through the boy's hair he absently wondered how the boy had manafed to hid the abuse for so long. The old scars nad the medical scan revealled that both the rape and the abuse had been going on for years. Yet no one had ever commented on it. No rumor of scar or bruises despite the fact that he lived in a room full of other boys. Nor had anyone ever noticed the obvious malnorishment. What else is Potter hiding, Severus wondered. Perhaps Dumbdores golden boy wasn't the useless pawn Severus had originally thought. This was definitely something that needed considration. However pawn or not no child desired to be treated that way. The old coot had a lot to answer for.

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Yeah this chapter is the longest one yet. They get easier to write so they will probably just get longer. I will try to update once a week however review are definitely an encouragement. R&R. 


	5. true reflection of Dumbledore

Disclaimer: Don't own it which is why Harry ended up with Ginny instead of Severus.

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Harry awoke to the feeling of fingers running threw his hair. The gentle touch felt good. For a second he wondered if he had died and gone to heaven. The dull pain he felt throughout his body quickly shattered that notion. Forcing his eyes open he looked up into a pair of ebony ones.

"You're awake," the man said quietly his hand stopping its path through Harry's hair. He withdrew his long fingers from the dark locks. For a second they just stared at each other, neither speaking.

"Professor Snape, um what happen?" Harry asked his Professor confused as he looked around the room. He was lying in a bed with white linen... The white sterile walls and the line of beds and cabinets told him he was in the infirmary. Professor Snape was sitting in a chair next to the bed. Startled harry realized that his teacher was wearing a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a pair of black leather pants that hugged his body instead of his normal formal black robes. He looked good Harry thought absently.

"As you have probably noticed, considering how much to you seem to spend here, you are in the Hogwarts infirmary." Professor Snape answered quietly. "You hadn't written in a while so I was sent to check-up on you. When I arrived you were locked in a cupboard barely alive so I brought you here." Snape said shifting slightly his black eyes fixed intently on harry.

Shame filled Harry and he closed his eyes. "I'm sorry," he whispered "I didn't mean to cause any problems for you."

Shocked Severus stared at the boy. Surely he didn't blame himself for what his relatives had done to him and yet the shame and guilt on Potter's face was a clear indicator that he did in fact blame himself for the rape and abuse. Damn Muggles what did they do to the boy to make him feel like he deserved such treatment. When he got his hands on them...

"It is not nor will it ever be your fault. The only ones to blame for this are those pathetic excuses for human beings you have the misfortune to call relatives." Snape growled wishing he could strangle the damn fools with his bare hands. Harry jerked back cringing at the evident anger in Snape's voice fearing that the man would hit him.

Severus's eyes widened as he realized that his tone had scared the boy. Cursing himself he reached out and gently laid his hand on Potter's shoulder. The boy flinched at his tough but he didn't remove his hand. Finally Potter relaxed however he refused to meet Snape's eyes.

"Look at me," Snape commanded his voice gentle. Harry turned to meet his eyes at last. "I'm not going to hurt you Potter. You relatives on the other hand are a different story. They're the ones I'm angry at, not you. What they did to you is unforgivable. They had no right to do such things and they _will _pay for it." Snape swore softly. Harry started too terrible and Severus frowned. What was wrong now? The boy should feel relieved not even more upset.

"I deserved what they did to me," whispered Harry softly his voice filled with pain. "I'm nothing but a worthless freak that gets the people around him killed." he started to sob quietly.

Severus felt like he had been slapped. Everything fell into place. Potter blamed himself for the mutt's death and quite possibly the boy Diggory's. HE felt tike he deserve the treatment his relatives had inflicted on him because he had gotten his godfather and his schoolmate killed. No doubt his relatives had encouraged the belief by making him feel worthless and effectively killing what little self-esteem the boy had left. Assuming he had any left after you got through him a little voice whispered nastily. Severus felt sick.

Standing he moved over to the bed and sat down next to Potter. Reaching forward he gently cupped the boy's chin with his hand. His fingers slowly caressed the boy's skin.

"Potter," he said, the boy winced, "Harry," he corrected trying to put him at ease. "You are not responsible for their deaths." For the longest time Harry just stared at him tears streaming from his brilliant green eyes. Then suddenly he sat up and flung himself into Severus's arms cling to him like he was a life raft. Hesitantly Severus returned his embrace cradling the other man as he sobbed, offering what comfort he could.

Several hours later Severus gently settled the boy back into the bed. Emotionally and Physically exhausted Harry had fallen asleep in his arms.

"Ah, so he's fallen back asleep." A voice called out from behind him. He turned, his face schooled in its normal stoic expression a sneer on his lips, to face the Headmaster who was wearing another of the hideous robes, this one a red with deep green stars.

"I see Poppy left," Dumbledore stated tugging on a red velvet sleeve, his eyes twinkling. Severus allowed his annoyance to appear on his face at the statement.

"Yes," he replied, "When it became clear that "Potter" the word was sneered "was going to pull through she returned home." Not that the Headmaster didn't already know this. Glaring he tried to control his temper.

"Well that's good. Horrible thing this mess was. Doing that to a child. I was terrified we lose him. ". Dumbledore said shaking his head, the sadness in his tone not quite reaching his eyes.

It took all of Severus's hard earned self control to restrain himself from attacking the other man. He might manage to fool the others but Severus knew better. There was no doubt in his mind that the man had known about the abuse the whole time. As long as his pawn was still useable then he didn't care what they did and if it made him more pliant even better. He had most certainly known that Severus's father was abusing him. Not that he had ever done anything about it. At the time he had no use for Severus.

Realizing that the headmaster had asked him about Potter's condition he stopped his train of thought. Barely keeping his voice even he repeated what Poppy had told him empathizing the fact that Potter would be bedridden for another week and wouldn't completely recover physically for at least another three. Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully. A thought stuck Severus, away to keep the boy away from the scheme headmaster for at least a while. He quickly set it into action.

"It's his mental health that's the problem," Severus added stressing the word problem. Dumbledore Frowned. "In the state he's in he'll be utterly useless. His own fears and self doubts will paralyze him." Severus stated blandly.

Good, Severus thought seeing the annoyed and worried look on the headmaster's face. Now if I can only get the old fool to put Potter into my care. Then maybe I can piece him back together.

"Where lucky he hasn't tried to slit his wrists, he wouldn't be the first to seek such escape in the face of rape and abuse." Severus pointed out. The headmaster met his eyes had he could tell that the man was remembering the day that he had tried that particular route not long after the first time his father had raped him. If it hadn't been for Lucius... well he wouldn't be here right now.

Suddenly Dumbledore smiled his eyes sparkling. "Your right of course which is why you will be taking care of young Harry until he recovers." Dumbledore declared looking smug.

"Headmaster, the boy needs professional help. I'm a potion master not a healer. Not to mention that we both loathe each other or have you forgotten that fact. "Severus protesting knowing that it would be expected.

"Now my boy, we both know that it's too dangerous to get outside help. They might be on Voldemort's side." Dumbledore replied evenly. Severus snorted mentally. The Headmaster wasn't worried about Voldemort he was afraid outside help might raise questions he didn't want. After all it would be bad for his reputation if people found out he was letting muggles rape and abuse the boy-who-lived.

"Yes but..." Severus started playing his part. "No," said Dumbledore cutting him off, "this is my final decision Severus, it's simply too dangerous. Besides whom better to help him then someone who has also suffer in the same thing. Perhaps you two will even learn to get along."

"Severus nodded once glaring. Much to his relief the Headmaster left after his assurance that he would obey. Feeling tired and drained he sat down once again in the chair by the bed. Sighing he looked at the sleeping boy. Why, he asked himself silently am I so determined to help Potter?" Too tired to dwell on the question he quickly fell into a deep sleep.

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Please r&r.

I'm sorry for those of you who like Ginny but she is going to be a bitch in this. Its my revenge for her ending up with harry in the book.


	6. Syltherin territory

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. If you've read the books this would be fairly obvious. If **_I_** owned it Severus would of jumped Harry.

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Harry awoke for the second time in the infirmary. Sitting in the chair next to the bed was his Professor fast asleep. his face was relaxed and peaceful making him much younger. The normal stoic expression had smoothed out taking with it worry lines. Harry tried to sit-up. A soft moan escaped his mouth as the healing wounds sent shots of pain through his body. When he turned back to his Professor black ebony eyes met his now awake.

Sighing Snape got up slowly. "Merlin, I'm too old to be spending the night in a chair." he muttered not quiet under his breath as he stretched his stiff protesting muscles. Harry snickered.

"Well Potter, the headmaster in his great wisdom," his voice dripping in sarcasm especial on the word wisdom, "has decided that I will have the unfortunate duty of babysitting you until you recover."

"You?" Harry asked startled. Professor Snape nodded slightly watching H...Potter's expression. Much to his surprise he wasn't angry. Instead he looked thoughtful.

"Professor, May I ask why the headmaster dumped this duty on you of all people. I mean we don't exactly get along and you're not exactly the sort of person who enjoys such tasks, like Madam Pomfrey." Harry pointed out softly.

A single eyebrow rose clearly stating Snape's disbelief that the Gryffindor had not only completely brushed aside the fact that he was stuck with his most hated Professor for the next couple of weeks, he had also realized that their was something distinctly wrong with the arrangement. Perhaps the boy had more brains then he thought.

"The headmaster has decided that it is too dangerous to get you outside help." Snape answered, though the statement sounded false even to him. Perhaps Potter hadn't noticed.

"I see," Harry responded frowning. He shook his head slightly like he was trying to deny something. "However that doesn't explain why you got stuck with babysitting duty, Professor."

"Your right!" Professor Snape replied not bothering to hide his surprise. "Two points to Gryffindor."

Harry rolled his eyes. "That's not nice Professor, giving points when they don't count." Snape just smirked

"Well..." Snape said returning to Potter's question. He paused for a second and considered his answer. The boy would no doubt believe the truth that his beloved Headmaster didn't want to risk someone finding out that he allowed the boy-who-lived to be raped and abused so he was leaving him with Snape who's life, as far as the headmaster knew anyway, depended on the headmasters goodwill not to the mention the old coot was probably spying on them right now. It wouldn't be a good idea to say anything that might reveal the fact that his true master was the Dark Lord. Dumbledore's parting words came to mind. Who better indeed, he thought bitterly. It was a valid argument however.

"According to the Headmaster I am most suited to take care of you because not only am I well versed in healing I've also suffered from...similar abuse " Snape said softly. Potter's eyes widened.

"Who?" he asked his eyes never leaving Snape's. Snape swallowed feeling slightly burnable under the vivid gaze.

"My father," he whispered closing hi eyes as memories rose up. "Did he..." Potter asked trailing off. Snape nodded knowing what t Potter had meant.

"Your own father raped you?" Potter whispered harshly. Snape's eyes snapped open and he met green raging eyes. Disgust marred potters face.

"Bastard. How could anyone do that to their own child." he hissed in rage. His fists clenched the sheets as he tried d to control his temper.

"Because he was a twisted, tainted soul just like you uncle, who enjoyed other's suffering." Snape stated as calmly as he could. Trying to ignore the irrational part of him that felt happy that Potter had so quickly risen to his defense and had become so angry.

"Now that we've been over my credentials," Snape sneered it lacked its normal edge. "We are going to move you to my rooms." Harry raised a single eyebrow an exact image of Snape's look of disbelief. Snape snickered and tried not to roll his eyes. Harry smiled slightly his earlier anger forgotten. He pulled aside the white sheets. Taking in the emerald green pajamas he rolled his eyes. Snape smirked at his questioning gaze.

"I though they would match your eyes, I could have left you naked." Snape answered sounding incredibly pleased. Harry shook his head and tried to stand-up. Keyword tried. His legs wobbled then buckled under his weight and fell forward. Strong arms caught him and he was held gently

"Well this could be a problem," Snape pointed out smirking down at the young man in his arms. Potter blushed. Shifting him slightly Snape wrapped one arm around Potter's waist and used the other to pull the boy's left arm around his neck, acting as a support. Shakily Potter walked forward leaning on Snape.

With quit a bit of work and several tumbles the managed to get to the entrance to Snape's room.

Harry stared at the picture guarding the door. The man in the portrait was wearing a black robe with runes in green running down the borders. It was open revealing a dark green shirt and a pair of black pants underneath. A set of silver bracelets in the shape of snakes with emerald eyes curled around each of hi wrists. Green eyes the same color as his own stared down at him. They flickered down at the red lion on his robes.

"A Gryffindor?" How... Unusual to see one of them with the head of the house of Slytherin" the man muttered. Blinking Harry realized that the man was speaking in Parseltongue. Comprehension hit Harry, this was Salazar Syltherin one of the four founders.

"IF I may, what is so unusual?" Harry asked in parseltongue with out thinking. Snape's eyebrow rose but he didn't comment, preferring to watch. Salazar stared at him in like he had grown a second head.

"You speak parseltongue?" he asked in surprise. Harry nodded. "I see, hmm...How did a Gryffindor end up with such a Slytherin trait?" Salazar mused.

"Apparently I got it where one of you decedent tried to kill and instead transferred some of his power to me by accident." Harry answered politely.

Salazar shook his head. "That's impossible," he hissed, "Parseltongue can't be shared or transferred by magic exchange or mind-links." he snorted, "I should know , I spent over a decade trying to find away to give some one else the ability. It can only be passed down through blood." Salazar finished sadly.

"Then how?" Harry asked. "You must be a decedent of mine of mine." Salazar added shrugging.

"Are you two done yet?" Snape interrupted noticing that Potter was starting to look extremely pale. "Incase you haven't noticed Potter is injured and supposed to be confined to a bed," Snape pointed out.

Salazar had the grace to look ashamed as he swung open. They stepped in side Snape's chambers.

Harry looked around. The room was not what he had expected. While the color scheme was indeed Black and green, Slytherin colors, the room was warm and comfortable. A black leather couch with plush green pillows sat on one side of the room next to a bookshelf stuffed with old tomes. A dark cherry wood table sat in the center on top of a black rug with serpents curled in spiraling circles. Two black leather chairs sat on the other side of the table next to the black mantle fire place which glowed warmly. The floors were a dark hardwood instead of stone and the walls were painted a deep forest green.

Snape led him over to the couch and gently set him down. Harry leaned back into the soft cushions with relief feeling completely drained. Snape walked toward the hallway and stopped halfway through. Drawing his wand, a long slender thing that was made of a wood that was so dark it was almost black, he lightly traced a door on the plaster covered walls, muttering a spell under his breath. A door appeared in a flash of light. He opened it stepped inside. Several minutes later he reappeared. Harry looked at him questioningly.

"I pretty much just used a spell to ask Hogwarts to supply me with a room for you. The castle is malleable just like clay. So if more rooms are needed they appear and before you ask they are already decorated so don't blame me for the colors. Now whether or not the rooms are already there and just sealed away until they are needed or they are being created according to need is something no one can answer. Accept maybe Salazar, however he seems to enjoy being vague on the subject." Snape answered.

He helped Harry stand up and stumble to his new room. Harry gasped. The room was beautiful. A large canopy bed with a brilliant green bedspread surrounded by a black curtain with green embroidery sat on one side. Snape promptly settled him on it and it was soft and comfortable. A cherry wood desk sat in one corner next to an empty bookshelf, smaller then the one in the living room. A green fluffy rug was on the hardwood floor and a dark green leather chair sat next to the roaring fireplace. A painting of Hogwarts itself hung over the mantle. Tapestries hung on either side of the door depicting a giant silver serpent on one and a Basikiln on the other. Harry felt amazed. ALL this was just for him. It was all he could do to keep from crying.

Severus smiled behind him and quietly left the room, knowing how Harry must feel. He frowned as his thoughts turned to the muggles who had treated the boy so poorly that he expected nothing but punishment. Sadly they would have to wait. It was time to report to the Dark Lord.

Severus arrived at Thornfield manor as the sun started to disappear into the ground casting a crimson glow on the enormous stone castle, embedded in the middle of a white oak forest. The moat surrounding the ancient building reflecting the reddening sky looked like a steam of fire. The castle itself was of course under a fidelus charm and was completely unplottable.

He strolled toward the front entrance his robes swirling behind him. A tingle on his arms told him that he had passed the wards which would burn those not keyed to it to a crisp. Stopping before the moat he drew his wand and with a quick flick along with the word "Enventi". The large wooden drawbridge slowly descended as the chains groaned with release.

Swiftly he crossed the moat and entered the courtyard as the bridge drew-up behind him with a loud snap. The smell of apples met his nose as he scanned the area. Trees scattered though out the circular court hung heavy with blushing red fruit. A fountain gurgled happily from its whit e marble basin and a pair of starlings flirted from tree to tree, trilling softly.

Feeling more relaxed now that he was there, he entered though the wide dark wooden double doors lined and crossed with iron. Following the long stone hallway lined with paintings of famous people long since gone his boots clicking on the stone corridor, he came to a dark door propped open revealing a large room with a long oval table with a green table cloth surrounded by chairs. A golden chandelier filled with candles dangled down form the ceiling shedding light on the room.

Sitting at the far end of the table a man sat eating a large dinner consisting of steak, potatoes and an assortment of veggies. His dark hair was streaked with silver and he was dressed casually in a red shirt that wash only partially buttoned and a pair of black trousers. Despite the fact that he was a great deal older he looked to be in his early 50's. His hands which currently held sterling silver dinning ware where callused from years of using a sword. He was classily handsome even with the lines under his eyes from years of worry and trouble and a few small wrinkles on his face. Though the man was relaxed and at ease he radiated an aura of strength and command and it was clear he could be extremely dangerous if he so chose.

Calmly Severus approached the man who looked up from his dinner at the sound of boots on stone. Crimson eyes met ebony ones as Severus bowed politely.

"My Lord." Severus stated calmly his tone filled with respect as he straightened.

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Well this one is longer then the other chapters. Sorry about the cliffy I couldn't help myself. I'll try harder to control my evil side. It's just so tempting to give in, after all they have cookies. 

Severus: Its about bloody time you wrote a longer chapter

Harry: Be nice Sev, she's trying and she has been sick.

Severus: _sighs_ well since you say so! But she better do better next time. (glares)

Author: Help! please, bad death glare.

Please R&R


	7. Healing arms

Sorry about the wait. I spent the weekend at Bush Gardens so I was already behind. However not all of this time was wasted. I now have a Beta. This is the first chapter she's done. Finally people won't have to beat their heads on the wall or any other available surface out of fustration because of my bad grammar. So give a great big thanks to Kei.

Oh yeah. I don't own Harry Potter. This story has Yaoi, cussing, rape and other goodies. If you don't like it then why are you reading it still?

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Voldemort nodded at Severus surprised that the man had risked coming here. Normally Severus only left Hogwarts when it was absolutely necessary, fearing that his position as a spy might be compromised. Curious as to what had brought his old friend here, Voldemort gestured to the seat next to him. Severus accepted it gratefully.

"Would you like something to eat?" Voldemort asked politely, knowing that Severus had the bad habit of skipping meals, especially when he was working on a difficult potion. Severus shook his head. The man was too skinny for his own damn good.

"No, I ate before I came. However I wouldn't turn down a glass of wine, Tom," Severus answered, referring to his Lord by his first name, a privilege reserved for his in his inner circle. Tom nodded and an elegant glass filled with a deep burgundy dinner wine appeared. Severus nodded his thanks and sipped at the heavily-flavored drink. Setting the glass down, he sighed.

"Potter is currently sleeping in my quarters," he stated quite bluntly. "It seems that I've misjudged the boy." At Tom's raised eyebrow he sighed.

"Dumbledore sent me to check on Potter two days ago. I found him locked in a cupboard, naked, covered in his own blood. If I had gotten there even an hour later he would have been dead. When Poppy scanned him she found evidence of rape and years of abuse. The fucking Muggles had starved him while forcing him to do incredible amounts of physical labor. He had the words whore and freak carved into his back," Severus spat in disgust, shaking with anger. Tom felt like someone had stunned him. How the Boy-Who-Lived could be abused, much less raped and almost killed without anyone ever noticing… He felt sick.

"It seems that Dumbledore is still making the same mistakes," Tom said finally. Severus nodded.

"I want you to watch him carefully," Tom commanded. "See if we can bring him to or side or at least get him to stay out of the war." Severus's eyes widened for a second before he became thoughtful.

"Before, I would have said that was impossible. Now, I'm not sure how much of what he does is just an act and how much is the real Potter," Severus sighed. "Truth be told, I have no way of predicting what he'll do."

Tom nodded slightly. "I'm not expecting a miracle. I just want you to try and find out as much as you can about him. Dumbledore's pawn or not he is an important player in this war," he said regretfully. Sighing, Severus downed his wine and pushed his chair back, making it scrape against the stone as he stood. Turning, he bowed to his Lord, who rolled his eyes. Smirking, Severus turned and strolled out of the rooms, robes swirling behind him, leaving the Dark Lord to his thoughts.

Guilt was a prominent thought. Despite the fact that he had been tricked, he had been the one responsible for the death of Potter's parents. If they had been alive, the boy would never have been in the position he was in now. The media wouldn't be stalking him, he wouldn't have been raped and abused and he most certainly wouldn't be a pawn in war he didn't comprehend, one that he was be too young to involved in. Instead, he would have had a more normal childhood with a family that loved him. Sighing, Tom slumped back into his chair, dinner forgotten. The stress of the war was taking its toll on him. So many good people had been lost due to a manipulative old man and his own inability to stop him. Would he have to add the boy's death to the ever-growing list of regret? He desperately hoped it wouldn't come to that. Potter had suffered enough.

Fear washed through Harry as he trembled. His uncle stood before him, a whip in hand, chuckling insanely as he stood over Harry. Vernon flicked the whip, causing pain to sear through Harry's body again and again. At last his uncle dropped the whip. He then yanked his nephew up by his neck, causing Harry to gasp for air. Vernon pressed his fat, sweaty body against the boy's fragile, bleeding form. Harry could feel his uncle's bulging cock prodding into his stomach.

"There's no one going to save you now. You're a freak that nobody cares about. Who would possibly care about a dirty little whore who gets the people around him killed? You're just a tool to be tossed aside when you're no longer any use," his uncle sneered as he undid his nephew's pants, yanking them off.

"Help," Harry gasped, struggling to breathe. Over his uncle's shoulder Dumbledore appeared, eyes twinkling.

"Headmaster," he pleaded. "Now my boy, it's simply too dangerous to remove you from your relatives' home. After all, we can't afford to let Voldemort get you," he said cheerfully as he turned to leave. Harry screamed.

"Potter, wake up. It's just a dream. WAKE UP!" a voice commanded as he was shaken gently. Harry blinked in confusion. He was drenched in swear and his throat hurt. Groggily, he stared up at his Professor who was leaning over him, black hair cascading down.

"Professor?" he asked, confused.

"You were screaming and twitching in your sleep. I thought it best to wake you," Professor Snape answered softly.

Harry blushed, quite embarrassed. "I'm sorry—I must have forgotten to cast a silencing charm. I promise it won't happen again," he said softly, looking down at the sheets.

A hand cupped his chin, forcing him to look up. "You will not be casting a silencing charm, Potter." Snape said. "I won't be able to wake you up if I can't hear you." Harry stared at him in shock.

"You shouldn't be left alone with your nightmares," Snape continued. Feeling overwhelmed both by the dream and Snape's kindness Harry started to sob softly. Snape wrapped his arms around Harry as he sat down on the bed. Cradled in Snape's arms Harry allowed himself to break down as the other man gently rubbed his back in soft soothing circles.

Long after the young man in his arms had stopped crying, Snape pulled away. An arm reached up and grabbed him, pulling him back, tear-stained eyes turned towards him.

"Please," Potter whispered, his voice edged with desperation and panic. "Stay. Don't leave me alone." Harry shuddered, his eyes closing. Torn, Severus stared at the other man. The fact that Potter trusted him enough to ask this of him was a shock. He was well aware of the fact that staying was not only inappropriate, it was against school regulations and could get him fired. Seeing Potter's trembling form and pleading eyes, he mentally told the rules and Dumbledore to go fuck themselves and slid beneath the covers, tugging Potter down with him. He wrapped his arms around Harry and pulled the boy firmly against his body, spooning behind him. He felt Harry relax against him

Harry sighed softly, feeling safe wrapped in his Professor's arms. He could feel the warmth radiating from the other man's body.

"Good night, Professor," he whispered, snuggling into Snape's chest.

"Good night, Harry," Snape answered, his voice warm and gentle. They both quickly fell asleep.

Harry awoke feeling strangely happy and comfortable. Blushing, he realized that he was wrapped in Professor Snape's arms. He embarrassedly recalled the previous night's events. He had felt so safe and wanted while Snape had held him. The kindness and understanding the man had offered had overwhelmed him, and the idea of being left alone again had terrified him. He had desperately clung to the man, needing that acceptance and comfort. Surprisingly enough, the man had stayed. Smiling, he reached up and brushed a strand of hair from the other man's face. The lock was soft and silky to the touch. Dark eyes opened, blinking away sleep. A frown marred Snape's face for a few seconds as he pushed away the fog of sleep. Harry suppressed a chuckle as he watched realization dawn on Snape's face as last night's events flooded back.

"Good Morning, Professor," Harry said cheerfully. Snape groaned rubbing his eyes.

"Damn morning person," Snape grumbled half-heartedly, pulling an arm over his eyes. Harry snickered softly.

"Thank you," Harry whispered. Snape pulled back his arm to look at him. Seeing the sincerity in Harry's eyes, Snape nodded, a slight smile alighting on his face.

"Sometimes the loneliness is worse then the physical abuse," he answered softly, understanding in his eyes. For awhile they just lay there in silence enjoying each other's presence. Finally Snape sighed and got up.

"I need to treat your wounds," he said, walking across the room and picking up a bottle of salve off the desk, which one of the house elves had no doubt delivered on Poppy's orders. He once again approached the bed, sitting down on the edge. For the second time, they just sat there.

"You know it's rather difficult to rub this on while you're wearing so much clothing," Snape pointed out, raising a single eyebrow. Harry blushed a deep red and slowly unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it off. His professor continued to stare at him. Embarrassed, Harry pulled off. Again, his professor continued to stare at him. Even more embarrassed, Harry pulled off his pants. Feeling vulnerable and exposed, he yanked the blanket up covering himself.

"Lay on your stomach," Snape commanded, keeping his voice soft and gentle. Harry complied. Twisting off the top, he lathered his hands and placed his hands on Potter's back. He felt the other man tense and so started massaging the salve into the firm flesh, trying to relax the tense body.

Harry fell like he was in heaven. The cool hands rubbed up and down his body, adding pressure along tightened muscle. He felt boneless.

The bed shifted slightly and he heard a soft sigh behind him.

"I'm going to have to treat your rectum," Snape murmured softly, sounding uncomfortable. His hand slipped lower. Panic flooded Harry, but he nodded and held still, knowing that it was necessary.

Snape's hands descended lower still, massaging white checks. He pulled back his right hand and coated his fingers in more salve. Gently, he ran a finger around the ring of muscle. Ever so slowly he slid his finger in the tight, hot passage. Potter jerked at the intrusion. Fighting the urge to groan, Severus stroked the inner walls. At last the muscles loosed and he slid his finger deeper in.

A moan came from the bed as Harry ached slightly into his finger. Severus's pants tightened painfully at the sight. He withdrew his finger and started to smear the salve on Potter's arms and legs, trying to focus on the task instead of the warm firm body he was practically molesting.

"Flip," he stated as calmly as he could. Potter complied. His faced flushed from embarrassment.

"It's a natural reaction, Harry," Severus reassured the boy, feeling extremely guilty. Quickly and efficiently he finished coating the wounds in the salve. Forcing his raging libido back under control, (God he felt like a teenager again!), he closed the salve.

"Perhaps you should get started on your homework after you put your clothes back on. I highly doubt you managed to get too much of it done thanks to your relatives." The last word was spat, though amusement was evident in his eyes.

"Yeah, especially considering I have this potions teacher who would love an excuse to give me detentions for the rest of my life," Harry muttered. Snape snickered. Standing up, he replaced the salve and left the room.

The door swung shut and he leaned against the wall. His eyes slid closed as he remembered the feel of the tight hot ass surrounding his finger. The sight of Harry arching upward flashed through his mind. He sighed; there was no denying that he was physically attracted to Harry. He was gorgeous, but damn it the boy was his student and half his age, not to mention a recent victim of rape to boot. And he was going to have to repeat this for two more days… He was so screwed. What the fuck had he gotten himself into? He would be lucky if he didn't end up jumping Harry if he moaned like that again. And when the hell did he start calling Potter by his first name? Severus growled at thoughts, feeling frustrated with himself.

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Thank you again for you're patience. The next one should be here much quicker. Please review it helps prevent writer's block. I'm serious. 


	8. who do you trust?

This chapter hasn't been betaed yet. So sorry about the mistakes. For some reason when I switched the file from my laptop to my homecomputer some paragraphs got lost so I sent my beta Kei a rather messed up version. Sorry about that. I will replace this one with the betaed one when I get it. Thanks so much for being patient with me.

Disclaimer: I don't own it. Damn now I'm sad. Severus will never jump Harry in the real book. This is a yaio. There is rape, cursing, and anything else I can think of. If you haven't figured this out yet you need help.

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**Chapter 8**

In the middle of his lab standing by a caldron filled with a half finished potion, Severus quickly and effectively chopped potion ingredients for the pep-up potion Poppy had requested. The potion was a simple one and didn't acquire much attention. Instead his thoughts were on Harry and the last few days as he skillfully prepared the ingredients with motions that had long since become habit. He was now up and about after two more strained sessions of being treated. Both which had tried Severus's control. The fact that Harry was no longer a child but a young man, a devastatingly attractive young man no less, had pretty much been thrown in his face as he had massaged salve into the firm supple body. Quiditch had done wonders for Harry.

Surprisingly enough they had managed to get along fairly well. It seemed that Harry shared his dark humor, which all things considered wasn't that shocking. Humor was a defense mechanism and one the boy had no doubt needed while living with his relatives. However it wasn't something one would expect from a Gryffindor, especially not the golden boy himself. Neither was the sarcasm that Harry has started to slip into more and more frequently, much to Severus surprise and amusement. Not that he would admit to it.

Also, rather interesting was Harry's political views. They had gotten into and intense debate that had started on mutual disgust of the current minister and had quickly turned to policy and laws. Severus didn't know what was more shocking, that Harry knew that much about the Government inner workings and offices or the fact that his beliefs were almost identical to the Dark Lord's and Severus own. A fact he wasn't going to share with Dumbledore.

Sighing he tossed the ingredients into the cauldron stirring clockwise then counter clockwise for several minutes, causing it to turn a dark blueish-gray. He steadily poured the now finished potion into vials, and stopped them with wax. Vanishing the mess he placed the pep-up next to a stock of other items for the infirmary that work sitting in a box on one of the dark wood shelves that lined the back wall of his lab.. Done with the work he head towards the door.

The smell of pancakes hit his noise when he pulled the lab door open, reminding him that he had yet to eat anything that morning. Crossing the hall, he entered the small kitchen. Standing in front of the stove, a frying pan in hand was the very person who had been haunting his thoughts.

"Professor," Harry greeted never turning his eyes away from the stove. His hair was even messier then normal thanks to the fact that he had yet to try and tame it that morning and he was still in pajamas.

"Harry," Severus answered amused as he watched the other man pour what was no doubt pancake mix into the pan.

"So do you like your pancakes plain or would you like me to add something to them, Professor? Personally I like chocolate chips." Harry asked cheerfully.

"While I confess to enjoying blueberries in my pancakes you do realize that's what house elves are for?" Severus responded drily.

"Making them myself is more fun," Harry answered, "It was one of the few chores I actually enjoyed." He walked over to the spelled cabinet that Snape had earlier revealed was charmed to summon anything the user wanted from Hogwarts kitchen. He pulled out a package of blueberries. Taking a handful he dropped them onto the pancake cooking. Taking the rest he dumped them into the bowl full of batter. Quickly, he mixed them with a whisk, that he had found in a kitchen drawer.

Taking a handful he dropped them onto the pancake that was already cooking. Take the rest he dumped them into the bowl full of butter, quickly mixing them with a whisk.

Several minutes later the room smelled strongly of blueberries and Harry had finished up the pancake mix. Pulling out plates and utensils. Harry stacked 6 blueberry pancakes down on the table. A second stack of chocolate chips pancakes.

"You do realize that here is no way I can eat all that?" Snape pointed out as he walked over to the table. Harry blushed a pale red rising on his checks. He shifted uncomfortably.

"Sorry," he mumbled. "I'm used to cooking for my relatives. They eat a lot of food." Harry admitted quietly not, meeting Snape's eyes. answered drily.

"I could imagine in your cousin was the size of a whale." Snape. Startled Harry's head snapped up. Seeing the amusement glittering in ebony Harry smiled.

A whistle cut through the silence. Turning Harry pulled the tea kettle off the stove and poured the boiling in a tea pot. He tossed in a tea bag, Peppermint, Snape noted as he sat down.

Harry set the table and poured them both tea. Feeling Harry's eyes on him he placed a couple of the pancakes on his plate. Adding a little butter and syrup he took a bite.

A single eyebrow rose. "This is good." Severus admitted, surprised. Harry grinned at him for a second then started on his own breakfast.

"So how is it that you can cook this well, but your abysmal in potions. "Snape asked, "They're practically the same thing. And yet you managed not to poison us" he pointed out gesturing to the breakfast.

"I..." Harry shifted uncomfortably "Potter?" Snape asked puzzled. The boy looked ashamed.

"I ..I haven't ...I mean I've been." Harry stuttered. Severus sighed. "Out with it Potter." he commanded, starting to feel annoying.

"I've been failing on purpose." Harry whispered so softly that Snape barely heard. Shocked Snape started at Potter.

"It's not that difficult. Most of the time I don't have to do anything except sit back and let one of the Slytherin's mess it up." Harry said softly, staring at his shoes.

"I don't suppose you'll tell me why you've been purposely failing my class." Snape drawled glaring at Potter his temper rising. How could the boy be such an idiot.

"When I was younger I got my first report card. It's a muggle system of grading, kind of like the O.W.L.S.. I did really well." Harry said smiling bitterly, "Too well. I completely out did my cousin. I was beaten and locked in the cupboard without food for a week." Harry whispered his voice shaking as he recalled the incident. "I learned fairly quickly that doing better then my cousin would get my punished. Actually doing well in anything got me beatings from my uncle. He felt he had to put me in my place. After all I was a worthless freak." Harry finished quietly.

"And defense against the dark arts?" Snape asked feeling sick. How many times had he, himself, tried to put the boy in his place because he had thought that he was a spoiled brat and needed to be knocked down a notch or two?

"It's expected that that I do well!" Harry answered, "After all I'm the bloody Boy-Who-Lived," he murmured his voice bitter and self mocking. Snape winced as he recalled the many occasions he had mocked and belittled the boy for the very same idea. Damn he was really starting to feel guilty.

"Well Potter there will be no more slacking off in my class. Nor will anyone beat you for doing well in your other classes. Your Uncle," he sneered the word, " won't ever touch you again." Snape promised. Finally Harry looked at him. Snape could visibly see him weighing his choices, deciding if he could trust Snape's word. Hesitantly he nodded. Curious, Snape opened his mouth to question Harry about his suppressed abilities when there was a knock on the door. Snape paled slightly. There was only one person who would visit his room's, the Headmaster. Sighing he stood up and let the infernal man in. Harry rose from his chair but didn't approach.

As normal the man was dressed in a set of hideous robes, these were a deep blue with huge orange suns splattered in the most random places. His eyes twinkled cheerfully and he looked more like a caring grandfather then the master manipulator that Snape knew he was.

"Severus, Harry." Dumbledore cried cheerfully, "How are my favorite two boys doing?" Without waiting for an answer he turned to Harry. Quickly crossing the distance between them.

"My boy, I am so sorry about your relatives. If I had known I would have never of left you there." Dumbledore stated soberly placing a hand on Harry's shoulder. Snape noted without surprise that the sadness that filled the headmaster's tone didn't reach his eyes.

"I understand." Harry answered cooly his body tense. He pulled away causing Dumbledore's to slide off his shoulder.

"My boy?" Dumbledore questioned his eyes boring into Harry. Snape just stared confused by the sudden turn of events. Harry was acting almost distant.

"I apologize, after what my uncle did I don't feel comfortable being touched, Headmaster." Harry answered his expression unreadable. It was all Snape could do to stop from gaping out right. The boy had just lied to his beloved mentor. What the hell was going on. Harry had no trouble letting Snape, his most hated teacher touch him. He had even held the man while he had cried. So why did Harry have such problems with Dumbledore touching him.

"It's alright my boy, I understand completely!" Dumbledore responded, his voice once again cheerful. "That's why Professor Snape is here to help." Harry nodded once, his expression still blank.. Much to Snape's relief Dumbledore decided that it was time to leave. After a cheerful goodbye which was met with a glare from Snape and a short nodded from Harry the Headmaster left.

Feeling the wards, that surrounded his room snap down behind the man he turned to stare at Harry. The boy fidgeted nervously.

"What was that about?" Snape asked. Harry's eyes flicked to the door then back, worried.

"These rooms are warded. The founders believed that teachers have the right to privacy in their rooms and cast several spells to insure this. Not even the headmaster can hear us." Snape answered the silent question, feeling more then a little puzzled by how Harry was acting.

"I don't trust him." Harry admitted at last. A single eyebrow rose, but Snape didn't comment. Harry hesitated for a second considering the man before him. Deciding to trust the man who had saved his life he closed his eyes and gathered his thoughts.

"There is no way that he didn't know what was going on. First there's the fact that my Hogwarts expectance letter was addressed to a bloody cupboard. Not to mention the fact that he has a spy watching me, that woman Mrs. Figg. The woman practically worships the man. There is no way that she wouldn't have told him about the abuse and while my relatives didn't exactly go out of the way to make it public the weren't the most desecrate so it's not like she could've missed it. Finally, if he really cared so much about me why didn't he check-up on me. Just one visit would have revealed something was wrong. You saw that for yourself" Harry spat as he began pacing the room. Snape just stared at him like he had grown two heads.

"He is just using me as a tool to defeat Voldemort. " Harry continued ranting. "The sorcerer's stone, the chamber of secrets, all just tests to see if his weapon is good enough, loyal enough to be used to further his cause."

"I think I need to sit down." Snape replied feeling overwhelmed. Harry nodded and they made their way to the living room. Snape sunk down into one of the chairs while Harry plopped down on the couch. Harry watched Professor Snape carefully trying to gage his reaction. He had taken a great risk revealing this to the man but something told him he could trust Snape.

"Well, over the last couple days you have certainly surprised me." Snape stated at last. "I had thought you were nothing more then a spoiled brat, firmly in the Headmaster's palm. You have not only manage to completely demolish that belief, you've proven to be far more Slytherin the I've could possibly imagine."

"Well the sorting hat said I would do well in Slytherin. Of course at the time I begged it to put me in any other house because I thought that the house of Slytherin was evil and I desperately didn't want to be in it." Harry admitted cheerfully. Feeling more then a little shocked for what felt like the hundredth time that day Snape rubbed his temple. He gazed at the other man for a few minutes thoughtfully.

"You are not the only one who doesn't trust the man. When I was in school he ignored the rather obvious signs that my father was abusive. I have been manipulated far to many times by the Headmaster to trust him. I have no intention of telling him about your lack of trust." Snape confessed, feeling that Harry deserved to hear the truth, though he wasn't going to reveal where his real loyalties lied until he knew how Harry felt about the Dark Lord. He owed the boy that much, after he had placed so much trust in him.

"Thank You," Harry responded feeling relieved. He had been afraid that the man would tell Dumbledore, after all he was a member of the order and all. Snape nodded, seeing the relief on the other man's face.

"Well I'm going to work on my homework," Harry said at last breaking the silence, that had become rather awkward.

"Potter, volunteerly doing homework. Has the apocalypse arrived?" Snape asked sarcastically, relieved to be on familiar ground again. He had felt unsettled and a bit vulnerable during their conversation. Not something he was use to.

"Yes well, apparently my Potions' Professor will be extremely pissed if I don't actually try in his class this year." Harry responded smirking. Snape just glare, though it lacked its usual heat. Harry just smiled.

"Imputed brat." he muttered watching Harry leave the room.

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Hey guys thanks so much for the reviews. I actually cried. I had been having a bad day. You guys really cheered me up. Sorry about all the time I've been taking. I'm afraid the next chapter might take awhile as well. My grandfather had a heart attack and is in the hospital. He's still unconcious and there is a good chance he won't wake up. I've been busy taking care of things because my mom and my grandmom are too hysterical. Not to mention that depression does't exactly help me write. My next chapter might be a bit angst and dark because of it. Misery likes company after all.

Please review otherwise I will send Dumbledore to mess with your wardrobe.


	9. its never easy

_Author dancing around tears streaming down her face. Hands thrown in the air, twirling around_

**Harry - **Um what's wrong with her.

**Severus -** She's overjoyed. Apparently she now has more than 100 reviews.

**Harry - **That's kind of impressive.

**Severus -** Can't imagine why. She hasn't let me ravish my Harry yet.\

**Harry -** Is sex all you can think about. **I'm** suppose to be the horny teenager not you.

**Severus - **...(grabs Harry and pulls him towards the bedroom)

**Author -** _(stops dancing) _HEY, where did everyone go? _(shrugs and returns to dancing manically.)_

Yes I know I have issues. Its not like I'm forcing you to read this stuff.

**Disclaimer:** Why is this necessary? _Sighs _I don't Harry Potter that's J. K. Rowlings job. Which is the reason fanfictions like this e_xi_st. We got to get our Snarry some where. There is rape, yaoi, cursing, adult scenes, violence and what ever else I think up.

Oh yeah, I haven't heard from my beta since she sent me the 7 chpt so I am forced to inflict my bad grammar on you once again. Since only one chapter was actually reviewed I guess you'll get over it. Feel free to point out any mistakes though. I'll be sure to fix them.

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Harry poured over several text books. He was almost done with his homework and for once it wasn't the normal pathetic excuse he turned in. It was strangely relieving to be able do his homework without checking over his shoulders every few seconds in fear of his relatives, finding out.

His mind slipped back to Dumbledore's appearance and the conversation after. The amount of trust he had shown Professor Snape surprised him. Over the last couple of days he had seen apart of the Professor he had never seen before. He had gently treated Harry's wounds offering comfort and a shoulder to cry on. The man was still a snarky git however Harry was starting to find his sarcastic comments amusing and there was no longer any bite behind them.

Still after everything he had done, Harry couldn't bring himself to lied to the man. He deserved better. It had been rather amusing to see the look of shock on Snape's face when he had admitted that he didn't trust Dumbledore though. He had been relieved when Snape had admitted that he didn't trust the old coot either. After all the man did work for Dumbledore, there was always a chance he would tell the headmaster, a thought he didn't really want to dwell on.

He trusted Snape to keep his word however. The man was the only one who hadn't lied to him. If anything the man was too blunt. If he said he wouldn't tell Dumbledore then he wouldn't. Strange how quickly he had come to trust the man he had up until recently loathed. Especially considering Harry wasn't exactly very trusting at this point.

A thought stuck Harry. He frowned. If Snape didn't trust Dumbledore then it was possible that his loyalty didn't lie with him either. He knew that Snape had been a death eater. It was a distinct possibility that the man's loyalty still lied with the dark lord. A part of him was horrifeid by the idea, however his more cyntical, Slyterin side quickly pointed out that the so called light was corrupt so it was entirely possible that the Dark what he believed it to be. Now that was an interesting if slightly disturbing notion.

Severus was pacing in front of the fire turning over Harry's confession in his mind when the flames turned silver and Poppy appeared in his fire place.

As he turned to look at her, a single eyebrow rose questioning as she stepped into the room.

"I'm here to see how Harry is doing." Poppy replied, answering the unspoken question. Severus nodded curtly and gestured for her to follow him. Reaching Harry's room he rapped on the door. It was swung open revealing Harry standing in the door way.

"Madam Promfrey is here to check up on you, no doubt to make sure I haven't strangled you or turned you into potion ingredients." Snape sneered. Harry had to suppress a chuckle.

"I'm just here to make sure everything is healing right." Madam Promfrey stated shooting Severus an irritated glare. Harry nodded.

"Well sit down." she prompted gesturing at the bed. Harry complied noting with surprise hadn't left and had instead taken up residence in the corner.

"Take your shirt off and lie on your belly." she commanded. Harry pulled the overly large shirt off and laid down. He felt extremely uncomfortable and exposed. He could feel Madam Promfrey press down gently testing for soreness. Slowly the hands moved down until the reached the line of his pants and slid beneath them.

Harry yanked back gasping as a vision of his Uncle roughly yanking down his pants flashed though his mind. Curling up into a ball he started to tremble in fear, ensnared in his own memories.

Severus watched as Poppy tested for tender spots. Much to his shock and horror the normal examination was interrupted when Harry suddenly twisted away from Poppy's touch. For a second he could see wild green eyes filled with fear and panic then Harry curled up trembling.

He stalked over to the bed as Poppy tried to touch Harry again in an attempt to calm him down. Harry jerked back like he had been burned and started to whimper softly.

"What's wrong?" Severus asked Poppy, his voiced edged with panic he couldn't quite hide. She shook her head a frown marring her face.

"I believe he's having a panic attack." Poppy declared at last. Severus nodded. Slowly so not to startle Harry, Severus approached the bed. Sitting down he wrapped his arms around the other man. He felt him flinch however he didn't release his grasp and instead started to whisper words of comfort in his ear.

Harry started to relax wrapped in the protective warmth.

"Are you going to be okay?" Snape asked at last several minutes after Harry had stopped trembling.

"Yes," Harry whispered. He pulled away feeling embarrassed and slightly ashamed by his outburst.

Seeing the red flush on Harry's face Snape reached up and forced Harry to look at him.

"Don't be ashamed by your reaction. The only ones who should be ashamed are your relatives." Snape commanded, his voice booking no argument. For a long time Harry just stared at him. Finally he nodded accepting the Professor words.

"Panic attacks are fairly common for somebody whose been raped." Madam Promfrey said, starling the two men wh had both completely forgotten about her. Snape pulled away and stepped back ignoring the look Poppy shot him Not that he could blame her. EH was well aware of how out of character he was acting. He just couldn't seem to stop himself.

"Is this the first time you've had one." Poppy asked gently. Harry nodded shifting uncomfortably. He felt lost and vulnerable.

"Hmm, you seemed to react to being touched in more intimate places." Poppy muttered looking at Harry thoughtfully.

Severus frowned "He didn't react that way when I was treating him." he pointed out.

"Really," Poppy said in surprise, "That's strange. I would think that a male touching him would be more likely to cause a reaction considering that it was his uncle who raped him." she said looking at Snape.

"Um do you guys mind not taking about me like I'm not here?" Harry asked sarcastically, feeling a little annoyed. Poppy turned to him in surprise as Severus suppressed a smirk. Perhaps Harry had been spending to much time with him, It seemed like he was starting to rub off on the Gryffindor. Poppy sighed slightly exasperated.

"Well, I'm not sure why it seems like you." She nodded to Severus, "can touch him, without causing a panic attack, however it looks like he is healing up nicely. Perhaps its simply because Harry trusts you." Poppy wondered, sounding rather uncertain. "You did rescue him." Severus started at her in disbelief. She shrugged.

"I'm going to leave now, If something starts to bother you, Harry have Professor Snape contact me." Poppy commanded. Harry nodded slightly amused.

Severus escorted Poppy out of his quarters while Harry got dressed, pulling back on the shirt, another one of Snape's transfigured robes. Green of Course.

He looked up hearing Snape's return. The man was leaning against the doorway where black pants and a dark green vest over a lighter green shirt. There was a slight frown on his face and Harry could see that he was mentally debating on something.

"Tomorrow is your birthday correct?" he asked at last. Harry nodded shocked. "I was thinking that we could go down to Diagon alley and pick up your school supplies and some clothes, I'd rather not have to transfigure any more of my robes." Snape's said smirking.

Harry just started at Snape's for a second, overwhelmed with happiness. Suddenly he jumped up and rushed to the door, flinging his arms around the taller man, causing him to stagger out into the hallway, he pulled him into a hug. Snape tensed for a second in surprise at his sudden armful of Harry.

"Thanks," Harry whispered his warm breath tickling Snape's ear. Snape's relaxed into Harry's armed enjoying the warmth, trying to ignore how good it felt to have the firm, toned body pressed against him. God he felt like a perverted old man. He was old enough to be the boy's father ,for crying out loud, not some horny teenager.

Harry pulled away looking embarrassed. "I'm sorry, I just, I mean." he babbled cringing, like he was afraid Snape's would punished him. Feeling the need to reassure the younger man he hesitantly wrapped his arms around the slime waist and pulled Harry to his chest. Daringly he reached up and ran a hand through dark locks afraid that at any second Harry would pull away.. He wasn't sure that Harry would accept his comfort despite the last few days he wasn't quite sure where they stood much to his relief Harry just snuggled closer.

"You don't have to apologize for hugging me Potter." Snape's said at last.

"Harry," the young man stated calmly. Snape's raised an eyebrow.

"When you call me Potter, I feel like your thinking about my father. Beside you've been using my first name almost the whole time I've been here." Harry pointed out. Severus sighed rolling his eyes.

"Fine, you don't to apologize for hugging me Harry." He said emphasizing the younger man's name. Harry blushed slightly, but his eyes were shining with happiness. Seeing how this slight gesture had made Harry so thrilled Severus silently swore to make a real effort to not use Harry's last name. A thought struck him and he considered it for a second. It would after all only be fair after all not to mention it was rather annoying to be called Professor in his own quarters.

"Harry," he said softly to the young man still wrapped in his arms.

"Yes," was the slightly muffled replay.

"I would not be adverse to you calling me by my given name while we are in private. After all I am not at this time your Professor, seeing as it is currently summer." Severus admitted slowly.

Shocked Harry gaped at him, his mouth hanging open in a silent gasp. Severus smirked at him , suppressing a chuckle.

"Thank you, Severus," HARRY whispered, his voice breaking.

"Your welcome brat." Severus replied ruffling Harry's hair. Stepping back he release him.

"Now scram," he said lightly shoving the young man back towards his room. "I have things I need to take care of, if we are going to go to Diagon Alley tomorrow." he murmured. Harry smiled and slipped into his room. Staring at the closed door for a second Severus felt a slight smile forming on his lips. He turned and headed back down to his lab.

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(A little add on for my patient readers. Enjoy)

_**Fluffy alert. Fluffy alert. Fluffy alert. Fluffy alert.**_

**__**

Terrified screams drew Severus from his slumber. He quickly rose and made his way toward the sounds which were coming from Harry's room. Throwing the door open he saw Harry twisting to desperately around on the bed with tears running down his face, caught in a nightmare.

Fearing the younger man would hurt himself he pin him down. Gripping him tightly he held him close whispering words of comfort to younger man as he started to awaken.

At last Harry stopped shaking and his eyes opened. "Severus?" Harry asked confused, his voice still raw from screaming.

"You were having a nightmare," Severus answered softly rubbing Harry's back gently. Feeling Harry relax in his arms, Severus started to pull way. A hand reached up and grabbed his wrist, stopping him. Questioning he looked at Harry.

"Will you stay until I fall asleep," Harry asked shyly, a faint rose coloring his cheeks.

"Of course," Severus answered, sitting back down on the bed. Harry smiled at his Professor and settled back down on the bed. His eyes closed and after a few minutes he had fallen into a d peaceful sleep.

Slightly amused by the gently snores coming from the younger man , he brushed back a strand of hair that had fallen across Harry's face. Turning he retreated to his own room his lips curved up in a smile. Some how Harry had managed to worm his way into his heart, despite his attempts to prevent it. And yet Severus couldn't bring himself to mind.

Thank you guys for all your support. I've been rather busy. Unfortunately my grandfather pasted away. I took some time off from school, right before exams and have been struggling to make up the missed work. Not to mention the memorial and all that. Your reviews have made me feel better.

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This chapter didn't turn out how I had originally planned though I managed to keep it from becoming too angst. Not that I don't write it, this story will be full of all sorts off stuff like that. Just look at my first chapters. However this chapter was suppose to be a bonding chapter that lead to them going to Diagon Alley. More fluffy and humourous then it turned out. Oh well. 


	10. Three rings?

**Severus:** Where is the author, she has to give the disclaimer.

**Harry:** Still dancing around. She got even more reviews.

**Severus:**? still? um, well a guess we will have to do the disclaimer.

Harry: Oh, let me do it please.( gives Severus the puppy dog eyes)

**Severus:** (mustn't give in to that face. must not) All right... (damn can't resist)

Harry: The author of this story doesn't own Harry Potter, A. K. Rowling does. If you haven't figured it out, this story has rape, violence and yaoi. If you don't like it you should've stop reading one chapter one. Really people.

**Chapter 10**

The sound of his name awoke Harry. Sunlight streamed through the window by his bed. Harry was positive it was magic considering his current location was underground,

"About time, I was starting to think I was going to have to drench you with cold water just to get you up." Severus smirked from the doorway. Grumbling Harry rolled over closing his eyes again.

Suddenly cold water splashed across his face. Jerking up he gasped as the freezing water dripped down his shirt. Soft chuckles caught his attention and he turned to glare at his professor, who was still standing in the doorway, leaning on the wall twirling his wand in one hand. His eyes glittered with amusement, as he calmly watched Harry.

"You..." Harry sputtered. Severus cocked his head questioningly. "You git. I can't believe you just did that." Harry shouted.

"I apologize," Severus said smoothly, not sounding at all apologetic, "I just thought you needed assistance getting up, it seemed like you were having some difficulties." He smirked at Harry who was gaping at him. At last Harry shook his head sighing.

"Your just evil." he said rolling his eyes.

"Of course, I am after all a Slytherin." Severus pointed out with a sneer. Harry smiled slightly "now I am going to leave, you to get dressed," Severus stated gesturing towards a pile of clothing, another set of transfigured robes. Seeing the started expression on the younger man's face. He raised an eyebrow.

"Surely you haven't forgotten our trip to Diagon Alley?" Severus asked dryly. Harry's eyes widened as Severus words brought back yesterday is events. Shooting up he grabbed the pile of clothes on the chair and dashed past Severus and into the bathroom. Rolling his eyes Severus headed to the kitchen to get some breakfast, his black robes billowing behind him.

When Harry entered the kitchen dressed in a pair of black leather pants and a dark green shirt breakfast was already on the table, the work of house elves no doubt.

"You are just bound and determined to dress me in slytherin colors aren't you?" Harry asked as he caught sight of his professor sitting at the table sipping on a cup of coffee, a newspaper spread out in front of him.

"But that green matches your eyes just perfectly." Severus replied not bothering to hid his amusement. He reached out an snagged a piece of bacon off a small plate set to one side

"You are an extremely twisted person, you know that?" Harry said in exasperation.

"Yes, but that's just part of my charm. " Severus pointed out blandly as Harry sat down across from him.

"Ah, you have charm? " Harry asked dishing some of the scramble eggs onto his plate.

"Of course, it's not my fault your not sophisticated enough to notice. " He sighed dramatically. "Its my life story. Always surrounded by snot nose brats who don't know anything about charm much less class and manners."

Harry snickered. "Well pardon me your Lordship for not noticing, I just thought that you were being a git."

"Well now you know. " Severus nodded sagely, "Perhaps your not complete hopeless."

"I give up." Harry said throwing his hands in surrender, "Your impossible." Severus smirked. Shaking his head Harry dug into his breakfast. The eggs weren't bad, they even had cheese and while he wasn't that fond of bacon, probably due to the fact that Dudley loved the stuff and he had been forced to cook it every morning, he enjoyed the sausage and the orange juice was freshly squeezed. It felt strange to have all this food in front of him. He was still use to hunting for scraps his relatives had missed during the summer.

"Severus?" Harry asked hesitantly, the name sounding strange and uncertain coming from his own mouth. Eyebrows rose questioningly.

"Thank you." Harry said at last. Puzzled eyes met his. "For last night and for today." he elaborated.

"I'm just obeying orders." Severus muttered gruffly, feeling uncomfortable with the sudden show of gratitude. Harry shook his head.

"No, treating me was following orders, not that I'm not grateful for that too, but staying with me last night and taking me to Diagon Alley today was above and beyond what you were suppose to do. And for that I thank you." Harry said firmly. Severus stood abruptly feeling embarrassed.

"If your done with your emotional outburst lets go." Severus commanded. Harry nodded smiling slightly, not bothered by the sudden and rather rude way Severus had ended the conversation. He could tell that he had embarrassed the stern man with his sudden out pouring of emotion. To the tell the truth he had been rather uncomfortable spilling his emotions like that but he had felt a thanks was truly necessary.

"Are you coming? or do you intend on spending the day here staring blankly into space?" Severus asked sarcastically. Standing Harry made his way over to the other man.

"And how exactly are we going to get there?" Harry asked curiously.

"It had been my intention to apperanate." Severus stated. He frowned at Harry suddenly a thoughtful look replacing the normally stoic features. Harry cocked his head questioningly at the sound change in attitude.

"It has just occurred to me that perhaps it would be wise for me to place a glamour on you before we go. People might think it strange to see you and me together and you tend to attract a lot of attention. Assuming of course you can bare not being the center of attention. " he murmured. Harry blinked at him in surprise. A grin slowly grew on his face and his lit up.

"So nobody will recognize me." Harry asked barely containing his excitement. "That would be wicked."

"Oh?" Severus asked curiously, rather surprised by how excited Harry had become over what should of been a simple precaution. If anything he would have thought that Harry would've been upset over the proposal.

"I hate being stared at. People gawk at me just because of this stupid scar. They act like I'm some kind of hero for something I didn't do. Unless of course they believe the crap that Skeeter woman writes, then I'm some sort of crazy attention seeking child crying wolf." Harry spat bitterly.

"I see." Severus answered drily. Drawing his wand he cast a glamor to hid Harry's scar. A second glamour change the brilliant green eyes to a hazel brown. Another spell l lengthened the dark locks. Satisfied with his work he returned his wand to the black leather holder attacked to the side of his belt.

"Well show we go." Severus asked. Harry nodded and they both approached the door.

As they strolled through the Hogwarts corridors Harry couldn't help but notice how empty the place seemed with out all the students crowding the halls. The sound of their footprints echoed on the stone sounded eerily loud. Harry felt almost relieved when the reached the front gates. Following the path they quickly reached the limit of the wards around school.

"Um, I assume that I'm going to side-long apparenate with you?" Harry asked when they came to a stop a few feet outside the wards.

"Obviously seeing as you don't have your license yet." Severus answered sneering. Harry just rolled his eyes at the other man.

"You do realize that there is no way I can apperanate us if your standing all the way over there." Severus pointed out sarcastically. Harry blushed and stepped closer to the taller man. Strong arms wrapped around his waist pulling him against the other man's chest. Harry relaxed against the warmth.

The strange tingling that always came with apparenating filled him and the surrounding meadows blurred and the distant castle vanished from site.

.

The sounds of the bustling crowds reached Harry's ears. Realizing he had shut his eyes he opened them. He was standing in an alley before him was a crowd of people shopping. It was still relatively early in the morning so the place wasn't as busy as he remembered but there were still plenty of wizards and witches strolling around in bright colored robes. Seeing all the people he felt relieved that Severus had hid is identity.

"Just out of curiosity, do you intend hold onto me all day." Severus asked drily cutting thoughts his thoughts. Harry blushed and released the other man, stepping away as he did so.

"Sorry," he said feeling rather embarrassed. Severus nodded once and smiled slightly. Relieved that Severus wasn't angry he turned his attention back toward the stores.

"We shall head to Gringotts first." Severus stated calmly strolling from out of the alley and into the bright sunlit street. Harry followed the other man as he wove through the crowds. He had to suppress a snicker as people backed out of Severus way when he glared at them menacingly. Having been on the receiving end of quite a few of the man's glares he couldn't blame them for hi-tailing it out of the man's way. The man could look just positively evil when he wanted to, especially when he was wearing those billowing black robes.

It wasn't long before the reached the marble steps and passed thoughts the bronze doors of Gringotts. They passed through the security and entered hall. Much to Harry's surprise a goblin immediately approached them.

"Harry Potter," the goblin greeted politely. Harry recognized him as the goblin he had met his first trip here.

"How can you tell its me, Griphook?" he asked Puzzled. The glamours hid his identity. No one had recognized him while they had been walking the streets.

"If I may," Severus said from behind him, causing Harry to turn and look at him, "there are multiple spells cast here to prevent people from stealing. No doubt there are some here that identify those who enter here."

"You are correct sir." Griphook answered politely.

"That makes sense." Harry mumbled throughly. "What did you want to speak to me about?" he asked turning back to face the goblin.

"It is about your inheritance." Griphook stated. Seeing Harry's puzzlement he continued, "You are now Lord Potter, not to mention the fact that you were named the Black heir."

"Oh..." Harry gasped in surprise. "Um exactly does that mean?"

Severus snorted, "What he means is that the Potter vaults and estates are now yours." Harry stared at him. Vaults, estates what was he talking about. Seeing Harry's confusion he elaborated. "You were given a vault for school supplies. That was no doubt only a very small portion of the Potter fortune. You're from an old family and were no doubt left a large sum of money and several estates."

Harry turned to look at Griphook questioningly. "Is this true?" He asked feeling rather stunned. Griphook nodded and pulled a scroll out of a pocket.

"You were left 4 vaults and 9 estates, Mr. Potter." He said, handing Harry the scroll. Harry gasped at the list of contents. All together there was over a billion in gold contained in the four vaults.

"All this is mine?" Harry asked sounding rather dazed. Suddenly he started laughing. Severus shot him a strange look. "It just that my relatives use to complain about how much a burden I was and how much I cost them and they never received a dime and all this time I had a fortune sitting here." He snickered. Seeing the irony Severus smirked. It was kind of funny in a rather twisted kind of way.

"Mr. Potter," Harry returned his attention to Griphook. The goblin was scowling. "I also wish to inform you that your guardian has made several large withdrawal."

Harry frowned "Guardian? Withdrawals? How much?" he asked confused. Griphook couldn't mean the Durselys they didn't even know about Gringotts.

"Yes your guardian, Albus Dumbledore. I take it you didn't know about the withdrawals?" Griphook asked staring at Harry.

"No! I didn't even know that Dumbledore was my guardian." Harry exclaimed angrily. "Is there any way I can find out what he did with it." Harry asked. He could feel Severus tense.

"You didn't okay these withdrawal?" Griphook asked. Harry shook his head Puzzled. "We can do better then that. If you'd like we can have the money taken from the headmaster's accounts and anywhere else he had it sent."

"I don't understand." Harry said.

"Your guardian only has the right to withdraw money from your account with your approval." Griphook explained. "We were told that he had that. However it is apparent that it isn't the case. Since it its our fault that this has occurred we will return your money." Harry nodded.

"And where exactly was this money sent?" Harry asked at last torn between anger and confusion.

"According to my information. Most of the money was split between three accounts.

That of a Mrs. Granger, the Weasley vault and to a group called the Order of the Phoenix. There are also several purchase mostly of rare items and weapons that were taken directly out of your account." Griphook informed him.

"He's been funding the order with your accounts." Severus said softly. He turned his head to look at the other man. The onyx eyes burned with fury. "He has no right." the man hissed.

"But why is he sending money to Hermione and the Weasleys?" Harry asked quietly, a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. His shoulders sagged. They couldn't be apart of Dumbledore's manipulations could they?

"Harry," Severus sighed "There is no way to be sure of the reason." He placed a hand on Harry's shoulder trying to offer him some comfort, trying to control his temper. Harry needed his support.

"That _bastard_. How dare he. He manipulates me and leaves me with abusive relatives and now I find out that the bastard has been fucking stealing from me and that my Friends are some how apart of it" Harry shouted, his eyes flashing in anger.

Severus watched the other man fume, he felt that he should say something to reassure him but he couldn't find anything to say. After all he nothing he had said was incorrect. He himself had reached a similar conclusion. The evidence was pretty damning.

Hesitantly he pulled the younger man into his arms, hugging him. Harry turned into his chest and held on tight. Severus could feel his body shaking, though he was unsure wether it was anger or sorrow that caused the tremors.

"Harry," Severus whispered softly, "it's going to be okay. I'm here for you." He tighten his grip bring Harry closer. He rubbed his hand up and down his back tangling his fingers thoughts Harry's hair.

At last Harry pulled away, gratitude shining in his eyes. Severus gave the other man a small smile.

"You never know, it might be order related and they could have no clue where it came from." Severus pointed out. Harry nodded but it was clear that the young man didn't truly believe it.

"Excuse me." Griphook interrupted politely, "but there is still the matter of the Black will and the family rings." he stated calmly. Harry nodded.

"Sirius Black named you his heir and left you most of his holdings except for what was given to a Remus Lupin." Griphook explained. He handed Harry another scroll this one listing everything he had been left.

"Now if you would come this way so that you can claim your rings." Griphook said, motioning for them to follow them. He lead them down a carpeted hallway toward a mahogany door. Griphook opened the door revealing a desk on which a golden bowl sat, along with a gleaming dagger with a elegant ivory hilt. Before the desk sat three deep blue chairs. As they approached the desk Harry could see that there was some sort of simmering rainbow liquid. Griphook swiftly stepped behind the desk. Severus moved to stand before it and Harry followed uncertainly.

"Now I need you to drop some of your blood into the bowl." Griphook said, gesturing toward the knife sitting on the desk. Harry spun and looked questioningly at Severus, after all blood could be dangerous if in the wrong hands. Reassure he turned and picked up the slender knife. Placing it against the skin he drew a bright red line across his hand, wincing slightly. He let a couple of drops falling to the bowl. The liquid darkened into a deep red.

"Now reach in a pull out what ever you find." Griphook directed. hesitantly he reached into the bowl. The liquid was cool and it felt more like mist. Something hard and cold brushed his fingers and he grabbed it. Pulling his hand back he found he was holding three rings. The top ring was a ruby engraved with a shield with three stars in the center. The one beneath it was a deep sapphire and it bore a set of crossed swords with a broken circle surrounding the hilts. The last of the rings in his hand was a brilliant emerald with a snake engraved into its surface. It was slightly larger the other two and the gold it was embedded in was darker and somewhat dull like it hadn't be polished in ages.

"Um?" Harry mumbled looking down at the rings. One was no doubt the Potter ring , he recognized the shield and it was likely that the second was the one from the house of black, it had been on the scroll that Griphook had given him but where did the third ring come from.

He felt Severus lean over his shoulder and look at the rings. Much to his surprise the man let out a sharp gasp. Long white fingers pulled the emerald ring out of his hand. Harry turned to face the older man in confusion. The shocked look on Severus's face floored him. He had never seen anything affect the older man so much.

"This is the emblem of the house of Slytherin." Severus whispered, sounding rather awed and confused. Harry felt his jaw drop. Why the hell had he pulled out the ring he wasn't related to Salazar Slytherin. None of this made any sense.

"Ah, Mister Potter it seems that you are now the Lord of the House of Potter, the house of Black and the House of Slytherin." Griphook declared, rather smugly.

"I'm WHAT!" Harry shouted in shock. "Well if this isn't wonderful. I'm the fucking Lord of Slytherin. Another reason for people to gawk at me. It was bad enough when it was _rumored_ that I was heir of slytherin. When people find out I'm the fucking heir they'll treat me like the next Dark Lord. Like I didn't have enough problems." Harry moaned.

The pain in Harry's voice snapped Severus out of his daze. "The only ones who know that you are the Lord of Slytherin are those in this room. Wether or not this gets out is completely up to you." Severus stated trying to gain control of his rampaging emotions.

"Then this won't leave this room?" Harry asked slightly desperate. He looked at the other man hopefully.

"You have my word that I won't speak of this without your permission." Severus swore. Harry nodded relieved. His attention turned toward the goblin on the other side of the desk, his gaze questioning.

"All our clients are guaranteed confidentiality." Griphook replied smoothly. Harry nodded. When he turned back around Severus could tell how weary the young man was .

"I still don't understand how I got into this mess. I'm not the heir of Slytherin, Voldemort is. So, how did I end up with this thing?" he asked, glaring at the emerald ring.

"I don't know." Severus answered quietly, "It is something that needs to be research." Harry sighed pacing before the taller man. At last he stopped. He slide the Potter and Black rings on his left hand. Thinking he conjure a string and slide the ring on it, tying it around his neck, under his shirt. Severus nodded in approval.

"Is that all?" Harry asked tiredly. Griphook nodded. The three of them headed back toward the entrance hall.

"I need to get some money from my vault." Harry pointed out. Severus raised his hand stopping Griphook's reply.

"It would probably be better off if you just got a bank card so you could charge it to your account." Severus said. Griphook nodded and lead them toward a desk. He spoke to the goblin behind the counter in a language Harry didn't understand. A few seconds later he handed harry a card which looked like a muggle credit card and piece of paper that was no doubt a form of some sort.

"Just sign here and you'll be able to use this to pay instead of carrying gold." Griphook explained, handing Harry a pen. Without hesitation Harry signed the form.

"Thank you." Harry said placing the card in the pocket of his pants spelling it so that only he could opened it.

"Now if we are finished here there are still school supplies and clothes to get." Severus sneered. His normal mask once again in place. Harry nodded smiling slightly. Biding Griphook a goodbye they strolled out of the marble hall side-by-side.

Thanks guys for all the reviews. This chapter is quite a bit longer then my last couple. Instead of writing it out before typing it I kind of just started typing. You'll have to let me know if it's okay. Thanks for sticking with me, I know I haven't been updating as often. Luv you all.

Don't forget to review. If you do I'll all let you play with Sevie.

Severus: _What!_ Don't listen to him. I only play with Harry. Right beloved

Harry: ...Well if it is for reviews...

Severus: No, not you too. (runs away crying)

Author: Um, well please review.


	11. Which side are you on anyway?

**Sorry Guys, no new chapter. This is the beta'd version. Rachel McGonagill has fixed this chapter up for me. Hope you enjoy the lack of abuse of the english language. Please review. The more reviews I get the quicker you'll get the next chapter. P.s. The next chapter will have Harry confronting Severus.**

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**Chapter 11**

It was almost noon by the time they had left Gringott's and Diagon Alley was now fairly packed. Despite the fact that Severus was shooting off some rather vicious glares, passing through the large crowds was proving to be difficult due to the large crowds now out shopping. More then once a witch or wizard had knocked into Potter as they attempted to make their away through the hoards.

Severus and Harry finally reached the bookshop after several long minutes. As they approached, Harry was amused by the fact that there was still a cage of Monster books in the window. He could recall how much of a pain they were, and he almost pitied the forth years how had to deal with the biting books.

"Well, we're here." Severus pointed at the shelves. "So are you going to go in or do you intend to stand out here staring?" he asked sarcastically. Harry suppressed a smile, knowing the man was protecting his image. After all, it wouldn't do for people to see him being anything but a snarky bastard. They might keel over in shock.

A small bell rang as they entered the store. Inside Harry could see several people he recognized as Hogwarts students browsing. One of them caught sight of Severus. The student paled and unconsciously backed away from the Professor. Dropping the book in his hand he fled the store. Severus snickered.

"Well that was interesting," Harry muttered, rolling his eyes as he grabbed a shopping basket. Approaching the shelf where the Hogwarts books were stacked, he quickly found the ones he needed. Seeing Severus browsing through one of the aisles, he decided to do the same.

It wasn't long before he found the section dedicated to the Defense Against the Dark Arts. While he recognized a few of the titles, most of them were unfamiliar. Several minutes and several books later, he headed over to Severus, stopping on the way to pick up a book on Animagus transformations.

Severus glanced at him as he approached. Catching sight of the books at the top of the pile, he smirked. "Finally going to do some actual reading instead of copying Miss Granger's work?" he asked as he sifted through the books in the basket.

Harry rolled his eyes. Then he turned his attention towards the books that Severus had been looking at. He wasn't surprised to see that the shelves were filled with potions books. The man was after all a potion's master.

"Speaking of books," Harry said looking at his professor. "I don't suppose you could recommend some potions books for me?" Harry asked.

Severus eyebrows shot-up in surprise. "You want me to recommend _potions books_?" Severus asked skeptically.

"Well yes, you see I've promised to do my best in my potions class this year and I thought that a potion's master like yourself might be able to recommend a couple of books that would help out a poor student who is abysmal at potions. Just think of it as a way to spare a few caldrons from a horrifying fate," Harry replied cheekily.

"Insufferable brat," Severus muttered, though the insult held none of its normal bite. Scanning the shelves he pulled a set of thin blue books into the basket, and then a deep blood red book with a large dull iron clasp in the front. A dark green tome with golden writing quickly followed.

Gesturing for Potter to follow him, he stalked toward the opposite side of the bookstore. He stopped before a small stack of books and pulled out a small slender volume from the pile of books.

"While you're at it, you should purchase this one too," Severus told him brandishing a book titled _How to hide your inner thoughts: The Art of Occlumency._

Harry nodded dropping the book into the pile. Harry quickly purchased the books and the two of them headed toward a dark, rather dank looking shop near the edge of Diagon Alley. Harry shot Severus a questioning look.

"It's a potion supply shop, and despite the way they look they have better quality items and a bigger inventory," Severus explained. Harry nodded in acceptance.

Severus opened the door and the entered the rather dully lit shop. The was only one customer aside from themselves. Much to Harry's surprise he saw a spark of recognition in the potion master's eyes, which was quickly covered by the man's normal stoic expression.

Watching Severus out of the corner of his eye he went to collect the items on his list. The other man, his face covered by the hood of the black cloak he wore, slowly wandered closer to where Severus was browsing.

Extremely curious, Harry cast a quick spell, one that the twins had invented in order to spy on Order meetings. It allowed him to listen on other people's conversations. The best part was that he could cast without anyone noticing it.

"Severus," he heard. The voice sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite place it.

Running his hands against the shelf he pulled down one of the ingredients on his list. Turning his back toward the two men he walked toward another shelf.

"Yes," Severus whispered.

"Is that Potter? The Dark Lord mention that he was placed under your charge," the man asked.

Harry forced himself not to stiffen. Severus had told Voldemort that he was now staying with him. Why? The was no reason to. After all, the only ones that knew that he was at Hogwarts were Severus, Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey. There was no way Voldemort would have learned about the incident at the Dursley's house, so Severus' position hadn't been at risk. Why, then, had the man reported his location to the Dark Lord... Unless his truly loyalty lay with Voldemort.

"Yes, that's Potter," Severus answered, bringing Harry's focus back on the two Death-eaters.

"And the potion?" the man asked. Harry heard the rustling of clothing. Severus must have pulled the potion from inside his robes. A second rustle was heard. No doubt the other man had hidden the potion in his own robes.

Harry suppressed the urge to turn and glance at the two men in the corner. Sighing softly to himself he gathered up the rest of the required items for school.

Footsteps echoed behind him. Turning at last, he watched the man, shrouded in his cape, exit the store. As the door swung closed obscuring Harry's vision, he risked a glanced at Severus. Black eyes stared absently at a shelf of potions, and he had a thoughtful expression on his face. Harry spared a moment to wonder just what exactly was going through the other man's mind.

Approaching the counter he rang the small silver bell sitting in front of the register. A older man, who reminded Harry of a twig, with his long, skinny limbs, appeared in front of him. After handing over some gallons, he stored the ingredients in a pouch and spun around to face Severus. The professor stepped past him to make his own purchases.

"Well, shall we?" Severus asked when he finished. Harry nodded and they headed toward their last stop, a clothing store.

Following Severus, Harry considered what he had just heard. There was no denying that Severus was loyal to Voldemort, that much was sure. The question was, _why_ was the man loyal? From what he had learned about his Professor in the last few days, Severus wasn't the type to give his loyalty lightly. So what did the man know about Voldemort that made him feel he was worthy of such devotion? The only thing Harry knew about the Dark Lord had come from Dumbledore, and was at best half truths. Of course it was entirely possible that the so called Dark Lord was the good guy in this battle for control over the wizarding world.

Perhaps the easiest thing to do would be to simply ask Severus about it. Deciding to jump the man when they returned to his rooms he turned to his attention outward.

They approached a large building with several manikins in the window. Opening the door, Severus gestured for Harry to enter first. Inside were row after row of outfits, in every color of the rainbow. In the back was a corner dedicated to accessories.

A woman in a rather revealing blue dress rushed greet them. "Hello, may I help you gentlemen today?" she asked cheerfully.

Severus nodded and she motioned for them to follow her. "I need robes for Mr. Evans here. At least two formal robes, five or six regular outfits, and a dueling robe," Severus said, nodding slightly toward Harry.

The woman smiled and pulled her wand out. With a quick swish, she cast a spell to get his sizes. Walking over to a rack she pulled out several different items.

"Here, take these and try them on," the woman said, gesturing toward a set of small changing rooms. "I'll get you some other things to try on."

Harry nodded and entered the nearest stall. After trying on various shirts, he decided to keep a dark blue, long-sleeve with a silver dragon and a low collar, a deep green tank-top with a snake embroidered on the front, a silky, long-sleeve shirt in black, with silver buttons up the front, and a emerald green and gold kimono-like top that wrapped around his form.

Several pairs of tight-fitting trousers were passed to him over the door. Once he tried them on and discarded some, he ended up with a pair in dark green dragon skin, two pairs in black leather, and a dark blue pair of jeans. He also choose a pair in silver leather that fit like a second skin and were extremely comfortable.

The last set of items were the dueling robes and the formal outfits. Smirking, he chose for dueling an emerald green robe with gold protection runes lining the edges, black silk trousers, and a gold under shirt. He could feel protection spells radiating from the cloth.

Flicking through the formal robes, he raised an eyebrow at Severus' choices. For some reason, most of the items he had been given were in Slytherin colors. He paused to consider that for a few seconds and shrugged. It wasn't like he didn't prefer those colors anyway.

Running his hands over the silky material, he chose a black formal robe with spiraling silver embroidery, and a dark green robe with a brilliant serpent that started on the back and curved up over the upper left corner. After stacking the discards in the corner, he picked up his new wardrobe and exited the stall.

Severus sneered at him, from his position on the small wooden bench in front of the changing rooms. "At last. I was starting to think I was going to have to drag you out of there."

Harry smirked at the older man. "Sorry, I was having fun trying on clothes that actually fit for once," Harry replied. "Speaking of clothes," he raised an eyebrow, in a perfect imitation of Severus, "I don't suppose you know why most of the clothes I was given to choose from were in _Slytherin_ colors?" he asked.

"They match your eyes," Severus answered blandly.

Harry sighed, shaking his head. Walking towards the front counter he drew out the card he had gotten at the bank. A hand on his shoulder stopped him. He turned and met Severus' eyes with a questioning look.

Severus plucked the pile of clothes from his hands. "I'll be paying for those," he said calmly, not quite meeting Harry's eyes. Harry swore the man looked embarrassed.

"They're my clothes. Why should you purchase them?" Harry asked, bewildered.

Stepping toward the register, Severus pulled out a card much like the one currently in Harry's hand. Then he sighed. "It's a birthday present," Severus finally answered, his expression unreadable.

Harry stared at him in shock. A birthday present? For him? Overjoyed, he grinned up at the other man.

Severus nodded curtly, trying to suppress his own smile at Harry's obvious delight. It wouldn't do to have his reputation ruined. He needed it to scare is unruly students into behaving. Not to mention, being frightening was fun. Naturally, he would never admit to any such thing.

Once they'd paid for the items, they left the store. Judging by the ridiculous number of people currently surrounding them, it was most definitely after 1:00 already. Turning to look at Harry, Severus frowned. Neither of them had eaten since breakfast. He was use to skipping meals, but why hadn't...he winced, recalling the fact that the young man had spent most of his life malnourished. No wonder Harry hadn't said anything.

"Um, aren't we heading back?" Harry questioned. They had been standing in front of the clothing shop for several seconds now.

Severus sighed loudly. "Before we go back, perhaps lunch is in order?"

Grinning, Harry nodded.

Together they headed at once toward a small restaurant several shops down. When they reached The Silver Chalice, a hostess greeted them at the door.

Severus requested a booth in the back of the room.

Harry looked around the room. The restaurant was decorated in deep wine colors, with dark wooden tables. Lights, with red glass covers engraved with lush grape vines, hung from the ceiling, letting off a soft glow.

A waitress handed them a set of menus and asked them what they wanted to drink. Severus ordered a glass of white wine. Pondering over the list of drinks, Harry decided on a lemonade.

A few minutes later the waitress returned with their drinks and offered to take their order. Severus ordered chicken parmesan while Harry settled on spaghetti and meat sauce. He had always wanted to try it, but thanks to his relatives, he had never gotten a chance.

Over lunch, they discussed politics, school, potions and numerous other topics. Much to Harry's surprise and pleasure, they agreed on a great deal of things. Sitting there, across from Severus, Harry felt honesty comfortable joking with the other man for the first time.

Until they were interrupted, just as they were finishing.

"Ah, Severus, my old friend, how have you been?" a voice said from behind Harry. He turned to see Lucius Malfoy standing behind the booth, his son in tow. As usual, both men were impeccably dressed, in Slytherin colors, of course. While Severus politely greeted the other man, Harry noted that both Malfoys seemed a lot more approachable than normal. Perhaps it was merely the lack of sneers that generally adorned their faces when they were around Harry.

"And who might this be?" Lucius asked, looking over at Harry. Draco peered over at him, looking rather curious. Harry resisted an urge to roll his eyes. If either of the Malfoys had recognized him, he just knew they wouldn't be acting so politely anymore.

"This is Mr. Evans. The _Headmaster_ asked I make sure that he gets his things for school," Severus sneered.

Harry smirked slightly. Severus had practically spat the word Headmaster. Not that he could blame the man.

"Oh, you go to Hogwarts then?" Draco asked.

Harry nodded slightly, trying to gauge Draco's expression. Lucius raised an eyebrow, causing Severus to sigh.

"What house are you in?" Draco asked conversationally.

Harry snickered at the rather scrutinizing look both Lucius and Draco were giving him. "Gryffindor," Harry said at last, and couldn't help himself, starting to laugh at the dismay on the Malfoys' faces. He wasn't the only one who was amused. A quick glance over towards Severus revealed that the other man was vainly trying to suppress a grin.

"Well, Severus, we will see you later," Lucius said, nodding politely at both of them. He left, Draco tailing behind.

"Well, that was interesting," Harry muttered, watching the two stroll out the door. They certainly acted a lot different around people whom they considered friends. Severus nodded.

"Shall we be off?" Severus asked standing. He dropped several galleons on the table, more then enough to pay for the meal.

Harry debated arguing over the fact that Severus was once again paying, then decided against it. Such an argument probably wouldn't get him anywhere anyway.

They left the restaurant together.

"Time to leave," Severus murmured, gesturing for Harry to step closer. When he did so, Severus wrapped his arms around his waist and pulled him closer still. Harry leaned against the other man's warm body as they Apparated away.

The swirling, blur of colors faded away, revealing their starting point, the edge of the Hogwarts grounds. Severus pulled away from Harry and started up the winding path that led to the castle, and it wasn't long before they reached the front doors.

"Home at last," Severus muttered, sounding rather relieved. When Harry giggled, Severus shot the younger man a dirty look, then headed toward his rooms, leaving Harry to catch up.


	12. confronted

They entered Severus' quarters in silence. When the door slid closed with a quiet snap, Harry turned to look at the older man. Onyx eyes met emerald green when Harry didn't move from the door.

"Well?" Severus asked his voice dripping with sarcasm. He shifted slightly under the teen's lengthy stare. Those green eyes felt like they were boring into him, sorting through his inner secrets. It was starting to become rather aggravating.

At last Harry sighed. "So when exactly did you tell dear Voldie that I was staying with you?" Harry asked, relieved that despite his nervousness his voice was steady.

Black eyes widened fraction with shock before Severus went unreadable. The change was so minuscule Harry doubted many people would have even noticed. "I have no idea what you're babbling about," Severus scoffed glaring at the younger man.

Harry sighed again. Wonderful, denial, and the man was so good at it too. Why couldn't things be simple for once in his life? "That's not what you told that guy in the potion shop," Harry pointed out, figured that being blunt was his best bet.

"How..?" Severus asked quietly, his face drawn, lips pressed tightly together. He looked slightly panicked, not an emotion Harry was used to seeing on the other man's face.

"Eavesdropping spell the Weasley twins invented," Harry answered, eyes fixed on his Professor, as Severus' eyes slid closed and his shoulders slumped. He looked defeated. Feeling slightly guilty, Harry stepped forward and placed a hand on the older man's shoulder in an attempt to offer Severus some comfort.

Severus sneered. "Now what? Going to run to the headmaster and blather on about how your evil Potions Professor is working for the big, bad Dark Lord?" Severus clutched his wand tightly in one hand, mind racing as he tried to come up with a way out of the current situation.

Harry rolled his eyes, much to Severus' surprise. "Professor, I have no intention of running and telling Dumbledore anything, much less this." He shrugged. "The only thing I really know about Voldemort comes from the headmaster and those he controls," Harry pointed out, watching the Slytherin with a small smile.

Severus raised an eyebrow. Much to Harry's relief the other man started to relax.

"What I want to know is why you follow Voldemort?" Harry asked conversationally.

Severus stared at him in open shock. Who the hell was this person? And where had Harry-Bloody-Potter, the so called Savior, who ran off to try and kill the dark Lord every year, vanished to? The disbelief must have shown on his face because Harry snickered.

"Really now, surely you've realized by now that the boy-who-lived is only an elaborate facade." Harry smirked. His hand dropped from Severus' shoulder, and he made his way to the leather couch, gesturing for the older man to follow. He settled down at a far end, leaning against the soft plush pillows as Severus joined him.

"Realizing and accepting are two different things," Severus murmured tiredly, rubbing his temples. Harry nodded understanding. "You are going to be the death of me," Severus commented, glaring at the younger man.

Harry chuckled, green eyes danced above a mischievous smile. Severus glare softened and the corners of his mouth twitched. "So tell me, why _did_ you join Voldemort?" Harry asked cheerfully.

"First off, throw everything you know about the Dark Lord out the window." Severus sighed running a hand through his hair. "The campaign for pure blood supremacy is bullshit, something that Dumbledore came up with to discredit the Dark Lord. The real issue is the Dark Arts," Severus explained.

Harry looked startled, and Severus suppressed on an urge to smirk at him, feeling far more comfortable now that the table had been turned. "Dumbledore sees the world as black and white. He is determined to eradicate anything that doesn't meet his ideal. Which is pretty much anyone who isn't willing to be his pawn," Severus spat with disgust.

"He sounds like the wizard version of Hitler," Harry muttered.

Severus lifted one eyebrow.

"Oh Hitler is..."

Severus cut him off. "I know who Hitler is," Severus commented dryly.

Harry looked at him incredulously.

"Don't you ever listen in your History of Magic class? Wizards were involved in that whole fiasco," Severus answered the unspoken question. Harry opened his mouth to ask then changed his mind.

"As I was saying, Dumbledore seeks to eradicate anything that doesn't fit in his ideal world. The Dark Arts is one of those things. Like all magic, the Dark Arts aren't evil. It all depends on how you use them," Severus explained.

Harry frowned considering the idea. "So the Dark Arts are like a blade," Harry said slowly. "They can be used in different ways, in the same way a blade can be used to protect or to kill, or even to chop food like a kitchen knife," Harry finished, looking to Severus for confirmation.

The Slytherin nodded, surprised at how quickly the younger man had grasped the idea.

"The Fidelius charm is actually considered a Dark spell, though it's border-line," Severus added.

Harry's eyes widened in shock. His lips twisted into a snarled as he spouted some rather unsavory comments centering on how hypocritical the headmaster was.

"While I'm inclined to agree with you, your rather colorful language won't change anything," Severus sneered cutting Harry off in mid-rant.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Perhaps not, but it's fun," he added, then impishly gave his Professor a brilliant grin, which only grew when the other man shot him a death glare.

Seeing the mischievous gleam in the Gryffindor, Severus had a sudden urge to run. He braced himself.

"So, when do I get to meet Voldie?" Harry asked cheerfully.

Severus choked. _Voldie_? "Meet?" he asked, breathlessly. "The Dark Lord?"

Harry snickered; Severus looked like someone had smacked him over the head. His already pale skin had lost all its color.

"Yes of course 'meet,'" Harry said, smiling brightly, "How else am I suppose to decide whether or not I wish to switch sides?" Harry pointed out, eyes glittering.

Not fooled by the innocent act Severus leveled his worst glare. Much to his displeasure the boy didn't cower, even if he did cringe slightly, his smile fading a bit. "You wish to meet the Dark Lord?" he confirmed, rather incredulously.

When Harry nodded he released a long torturous sigh. Standing up, he walked toward the fireplace where he slid his hand into the small pot to pull out a pinch of the silvery powder. He released it over the raging fire, watching the floo powder shimmer as it fell, turning the red and orange flames silver.

"No time like the present?" Harry asked, as he joined the older man.

"Yes, well, if the Headmaster shows up, hopefully he'll think we're still at Diagon Alley," Severus pointed out.

Harry shuddered. The last thing they needed was for Dumbledore to get suspicious.

"Our destination is name? Manor," Severus stated. His gaze bored into Harry, silently offering the younger man one last chance to back out.

Determined, Harry stepped into the flames, ignoring his instinctual fear of fire as the silver tongues of flame licked his legs. He made sure to state his destination clearly, recalling far too well his earlier experience, which had landed him in Knockturn alley. It wasn't exactly a fond memory. He watched as Snape faded away into silver. He was abruptly jolted as he arrived, and he went sprawling, scrapping his knee on the stone floor.


	13. The Dark Lord

Disclaimer: Did Severus jump Harry? Then I don't own it. (Pouts)

Harry: what's her problem?

Severus: Her internet keeps breaking down so she hasn't had her yaoi doses.

Harry:ooh!

Harry: Enjoy the story.

Severus: Or else!

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Chapter 13

Wincing, Harry stood up. Chuckles reached his ears, and a shadow fell over him. Turning slightly, he saw Severus standing behind him, however the sound wasn't coming from Severus. Looking around what appeared to be a library, he spotted an older man sitting in a black leather chair, a book in one hand.

"My Lord," Severus murmured, bowing to the older man.

Harry gasped; this man was the Dark Lord!? What the hell? Where did the hair come from? Voldemort looked like a normal older man in his late 50's or 60's. Shifting his gaze, Harry looked into ruby eyes. Voldemort's eyes widened in shock as he recognized the boy-who-lived, and Harry swallowed suddenly, realizing exactly how stupid it was to come here. He was now in the home of the man who had on multiple occasions tried to kill him.

"Severus?" Voldemort asked quietly, his eyes never leaving the teens. Of all the people to show up in his home, Harry Potter was the last person he had ever expected.

Severus sighed. "Don't look at me, he asked to come," Severus answered, running a hand through his hair. Voldemort raised an eyebrow questioningly, and Severus continued, "He managed to overhear me and Marwick talking. I apologize for my carelessness," Severus explained, bowing his head.

Voldemort waved his hand, brushing the problem off, more curious about why the boy-who-lived was here. "So tell me, Potter, why did you have Severus," he gestured to the potions master, "bring you to the home of your enemy?"

Harry resisted the urge to shift under the red stare. "To be honest, I'm having trouble remembering exactly why we're enemies. I mean, I know that you killed my parents, but that's what happens in war. And truthfully, from what I know of Dumbledore's manipulations, they were on the wrong side," Harry replied, deciding to be as honest as possible. After all, he was already in the Snake's lair, so to speak. What could telling his real reasons hurt?

"Actually, your parents weren't working for the old coot." Voldemort sighed. "They were both Death Eaters."

Harry gaped at him. His parents were _what_? Whirling around, he stared at Severus. His Professor nodded. "But . . . I don't understand!" Harry gasped. How could his parents be Death Eaters? Especially considering that it had been _Voldemort_ who had killed him.

"Your parents were spies for me. Unfortunately, Dumbledore found out. Much to my regret, he tricked me into thinking that they had betrayed me. Then there was that bloody prophecy. Supposedly, after hearing it, they changed sides," Voldemort explained. He shot Severus an unreadable look. "A Death Eater managed to overhear a part of the prophecy and brought it to me. From what we could piece together, it stated that a baby born in the seventh month would be able to defeat me. Add that to what I, at the time, thought to be your parents' betrayal, and . . . well, I think you can figure out what I decided, all things considered." Voldemort sighed.

"So, you went to deal with the problem," Harry asked softly.

The older man sighed and nodded. He looked tired and much older all of a sudden. Harry couldn't help but feel sympathetic, despite the fact that the man had just bluntly explained why he had killed Harry's parents.

"Yes, much to my regret. Looking back, I realize how foolish it was to rush into things. I let my anger get the better of me. It wasn't until a few months ago that I learned that Dumbledore had orchestrated the whole thing. That bastard tricked me!" Voldemort hissed.

Harry stepped back at the anger in the Dark Lord's voice.

But then a warm hand rubbed his shoulder to steady him. Harry looked up to see Severus standing behind him. "Your mother was a close friend of Tom's," Severus murmured in Harry's ear. "She was the one who convinced your father to join up."

"Is that why you were going to spare her?" Harry asked.

Both Severus and Voldemort stared at him in shock.

"Dementors," Harry explained. "Every time they get close, they drag up the memory of that night. I always hear you tell her to get away, that she doesn't have to die. Actually, that had been bothering me. Why were you trying to spare her if you hated Mudbloods?"

Voldemort snorted, "Rather hypocritical of me, considering I am one. That whole thing is something that Dumbledore concocted. Unfortunately, since a lot of my follows are pure bloods..."

"People buy into it," Harry finished.

Voldemort nodded, rolling his eyes. Standing up, he put the book down on a table. "Earlier you mentioned Dumbledore's manipulation?" Voldemort commented, approaching the younger man.

Severus' hand tightened on Harry's shoulder when the teen tensed.

Noticing his protectiveness, Voldemort smirked slightly.

"There is no way Dumbledore didn't know about how my relatives where treating me," Harry stated flatly.

Voldemort sighed. "Of course he did. Just as he knew about Severus' father and my treatment at the orphanage." Voldemort closed his eyes.

Emerald eyes widen in shock. "You too?" Harry asked. Voldemort nodded curtly. Harry clenched his fists, rage over-powering everything. "That bastard! How dare he manipulate our lives like that?" Harry spat. He started to pace back and forth in front of the fireplace.

"Perhaps we should take discussion to some where more comfortable?" Voldemort asked politely.

Harry paused to look at the older man. At last, he nodded curtly. "Since I'm here, I might as well," he replied, leveling a measuring glance at the Dark Lord.

"You don't trust me?" Voldemort asked smirking. Harry snorted and shook his head. Heading towards the door of the room, Voldemort stopped and looked over his shoulder. "Good," he said. "You'd be a fool to trust me so easily."

Severus snickered as he strolled after the Dark Lord. Harry followed them, silently questioning his sanity.

Voldemort led them down the hall to a small room. Inside, several brown chairs with plush red cushions surrounded a table. A blood red table cloth with golden dragons embodied on it adorned its surface.

"Gryffindor colors?" Harry asked innocently taking the decor.

Severus snickered again, when Voldemort shot the teen a withering glare. Harry just smiled cheerfully. Shaking his head, the Dark Lord took a seat. Severus gracefully took a seat next to him. Harry stepped around the table and sat across from the two other men.

"So how much do you know about our goals?" Voldemort asked the younger man as he conjured some tea.

"A bit. Severus explained that you were fighting over the Dark Arts," Harry answered, accepting a cup a tea. For a second he stared at the cup pondering whether or not it was safe to drink. Shrugging, he sipped the tea. After all, poisoning him now would be rather pointless, considering he was pretty much at their mercy.

"Yes, that's true, but that's not the whole story. I confess I do have personal reasons for wanting Dumbledore out of the way, as do quite a few people on my side. You've seen firsthand how the coot manipulates people. Your life isn't the only one he's fucked up," Voldemort explained, stirring his tea thoughtfully.

He took a sip of tea then continued, "However that's not the reason I'm trying to defeat Dumbledore." Voldemort frowned. "Dumbledore has this perfect world envisioned in his head, and he is willing to go to any lengths to create it. Unfortunately, his utopia has no place for things like Dark Arts . . . unless, of course, _he_ is the one using them," Voldemort spat.

"So what is the deal with the Dark Arts anyway?" Harry asked curiously, looking between the Dark Lord and Severus.

"Dark is often confused with evil," Voldemort answered first. "However, this is not the case with the Dark Arts. Every individual has an attribute, either dark or light. It's something you are born with, and it can't be changed. Both Severus and I are dark, while the headmaster has a light attribute. Dumbledore has determined that those with a dark attribute are evil." Voldemort sighed.

"Absolute folly," Severus snarled. "Having a dark attribute doesn't mean a person is evil. It just means that they find the Dark Arts easier to use."

Confused, Harry frowned at him.

Severus explained further, "Those with dark attributes find it easier to use spells that match their attribute and vice versa. It's not impossible for a person with dark attribute to use light spells, but they aren't nearly as strong."

Voldemort nodded, sipping at his drink. "There's not really that much difference between the two sets of spell. Many of them do the same thing as their counterpart," he added, sitting his cup down lightly on the table.

"So, all spells are divided into two groups?" Harry asked, trying to get a handle on this.

Voldemort shook his head. "Actually, no. There are three types of spells; dark, light and grey. Most of what you learn at school are grey spells, those which are neither light nor dark, like _Accio_ and so on," Voldemort clarified.

Harry nodded thoughtfully. It made sense that there was some middle ground otherwise there would be no balance.

"I hate to interrupt, but we need to leave, otherwise our absence might be noticed." Severus stood up, causing the red cushioned chair to scrape against the stone floor.

Voldemort nodded with a frown.

"Aw, but I'm having so much fun," Harry complained.

Severus rolled his eyes. Watching the two, Voldemort smirked. It was hard to believe that these two had loathed each other less than a month ago.

"Well, I guess we'll have to do this again Voldie," Harry said cheerfully.

Voldemort choked. Ignoring Severus' sniggering, he glared at the younger man who was currently smiling cheekily up at him. "Don't ever call me that again," the older man snarled.

Harry just continued to smile at him, much to the other man's annoyance. "Then what should I call you?" Harry asked seriously, "because Lord Voldemort is, um, kind of tacky, not to mention long winded."

Voldemort just stared at the younger man in shock. Severus was outright laughing now, and Voldemort sighed. "You may call me Tom. That is how my inner circle refers to me," he said at last. He shot a glare at Severus, who was still holding his sides in laugher. Pursing his lips, the dark haired Slytherin straightened, regaining his composure.

"Aren't you two supposed to be leave?" Tom asked pointedly.

Harry stood and followed Severus out of the room. The Slytherin led the teen back to the room where they'd entered.

"More floo, joy," Harry said sarcastically.

Severus smirked, lifting an eyebrow. Grabbing a handful of powder he threw it onto the fire. It sizzled then raged up. Calmly, he stepped into the flame.

"Hogwarts, Severus Snape's chambers," the Potions Master murmured.

Sighing, Harry followed him.

* * *

Thanks for the reviews. You know black mail really works. To those of you who are loyal reviews I'm sorry. I was having a bad day. I know that this chapter is short but I've been sick, not to mention I'm taking 17 credit hours and I work part time. Not to mention the killer homework. I confess I have also been working on a short Snarry in order to some yaoi out of my system. I want to take my time with this story even though I know its killing you all. Thanks and remember to review. Oh and can you leave your emails on a review. Somebody tell me, because if you can maybe I'll send my reviews a chapter early. 


	14. denying your heart

Disclaimer: I don't own it. Severus has his way with Harry, eventually. If you don't likeit don't read it.

Special thanks to my beta Rachel. Worship her guys because as you've seen my grammar and spelling suck.

* * *

Chapter 14

For the second time that day, Harry fell forward, but before he could hit the ground, strong arms caught him. Blinking, Harry looked up to find himself wrapped in his professor's arms and pressed against the man's strong chest. 

"Thanks," he whispered softly leaning into the warmth, the smell faint of cinnamon and sand wood soothing him. He felt safe and wanted, tucked within the safe haven of the older man's arms. 

Much to his surprise, instead of releasing him, the Slytherin pulled him closer, gently rubbing the teen's back in small, comforting circles. "You're welcome, brat," Severus murmured, sighing he released the younger man. "That was a rather reckless stunt you just pulled. I can't believe you called him Voldie to his face." 

Harry chuckled, causing the Slytherin to unbend enough to smile.

"How are you feeling?" Severus asked, concerned. It had, after all, only been a few days since the boy had been bed ridden, and now this stunt with the Dark Lord, not to mention they had been out and about earlier. Harry must be exhausted, he thought.

Harry turned his head away as pain flickered across his face and his shoulders slumped tiredly.

Severus frowned at the younger man's expression, but, forcing down his worry, he waited expectantly. 

Harry sighed, rubbing his eyes. "To be honest that whole thing was rather nerve wracking and..." The Gryffindor hesitated for a second before continuing, unable to deny telling the older man the truth. "And the deeper I dig into all this, the more used and fucked over and alone I feel," Harry whispered, shoulders slumping.

"You're not alone," Severus declared, forcing the younger man to meet his eyes by grabbing his chin. "I'll be right here to clean up your mess." 

Much to the older man's relief, the teen smiled and his eyes lost their haunted look. He could remember far too well the pain and self doubt he had suffered as a child. Seeing Harry going through the same thing, Severus couldn't help but want to ease some of his suffering. Not that he was going to admit it. Not out loud, at least.

Severus smirked, pushing the Gryffindor towards his room. "Now, off to bed with you." 

Harry chuckled as he started toward the room, shoes tapping lightly on the stone floor, but he stopped before he'd gone more than a few feet and looked over his shoulder at the older man. "Thanks," Harry said again.

Severus nodded and made his way toward his own his room. It had, after all, been a long, long day.

----

Screams echoed throughout the room, tearing Severus from his sleep. He swore loudly. In all the excitement, he had forgotten about his plans to give the teen a Dreamless Sleep potion. After pausing to grab a vial out of a small cabinet, he dashed to Harry's room. As he pushed the door open, he winced at the sight before him.

Harry was curled up in a ball on the bed, cowering from some unseen force. Tears were running down his face as he begged and pleaded for his uncle to stop. 

Severus' heart felt torn in two at the pathetic sight. He approached the bed warily, then placed a hand on the teen's shoulder. 

Harry jerked away.

"Harry, wake up. Harry!" Severus commanded. 

Wide, panic-filled eyes met his, and Harry scrambled away, plainly terrified. 

Severus stared at the shivering form on the edge of the bed, wrapped in the emerald comforter.

"Please don't hurt me, Uncle," Harry whimpered, looking far too young and helpless for someone who had met a Dark Lord that day. When Severus moved towards him, he shrank back even farther, covering his face with his arms.

"Harry, it's me, Severus. I'm not going to hurt you, I swear it," Severus murmured, reaching out to wrap his arms around the terrified teen. He held on, even as the younger man struggled desperately to escape, limbs flailing. "Hush, Harry, you're safe here. I've got you," Severus whispered into the younger man's ear and continued to hold the younger man close.

"Professor?" Harry asked eventually, voice trembling.

Severus pulled away slightly to look into tear-filled eyes, and was relieved to find the fear retreating from the younger man's face. Bringing a finger up he brushed away a tear from Harry's cheek. "We really need to stop meeting like this," Severus murmured softly. 

Harry managed a wet chuckle. 

Severus dug into his robes and pulled out the vial he had grabbed from his room. "Here, I want you to drink this." He sighed. "I should have given it to you earlier. It's a Dreamless Sleep potion. I want you to start taking it every night," Severus explained. 

Hesitantly, Harry reached for the potion, and his slender fingers wrapped around the narrow glass vial.

Into the quiet, Severus asked, "If I may, were you dreaming about your uncle?" 

Harry nodded as he uncorked the potion and brought it to his lips. 

Severus watched in fascination as the younger man swallowed the pale blue liquid. A pink tongue slid out and licked the last drops of potion from his lips. As he swallowed the last of it, Harry made a face, and Severus almost smirked, knowing the stuff tasted awful.

"Do all the potions you brew taste like crap?" Harry asked groggily, as the potion kicked in. 

Severus chuckled outright as he helped the other man settle himself back down on to the bed. "If it tasted good, trouble-makers like you would have no reason to stay out of trouble," he answered, pulling the blanket up around the Gryffindor's frail form and tucking in it. 

"I should have known you'd say something like that, damn Slyth..." Harry trailed off mid-word as the potion sent him into a deep slumber. 

Leaning down, Severus brushed his lips to the Gryffindor's head. "Good night, brat," he whispered, then stood and left the bedroom. 

Instead of returning to his own bed, he retrieved a bottle of rum from a cabinet in the kitchen. After pulling down a shot glass as well, he made his way to the living room and sat in his favorite chair. Once he had poured himself a shot, he swirled it thoughtfully, enjoying the way the liquid glowed like gold in the firelight.

The day had been full of surprises. He certainly hadn't expected Harry to demand to see Voldemort, though one would think he would have moved past shocked after the way things had been going for him lately. 

Then, of course, there had been the earlier shock of discovering that the brat was the heir of the house of Slytherin, though how Harry had managed that was still uncertain. There was a lineage potion he could brew; it took a while to prepare, however. Perhaps he could get Harry to help him; it would be the perfect opportunity to find out what the teen was capable of in the lab. 

He sighed, taking a sip of the rum, letting the liquid burn its way down his throat. The day's current events weren't the only thing weighing on his mind. Both earlier, when he had caught the younger man, and tonight, he had reacted physically to Harry, and it wasn't the first time. Far too often, he found his gaze following the younger man's movements, admiring the way he looked. 

The teen was just too bloody good looking.

Frustrated suddenly, he slammed the glass down on the table. The amber liquid splattered. Severus stared at it blankly as it dribbled over the side of the table. Sighing, he leaned back in his chair. He seemed, lately, to be losing control of things, such as his growing attraction to Harry, a student half his age. He felt like a bloody hormonal teen again. Not to mention the fact that he had been acting out of character around Harry. He had hugged the brat, for crying out loud. A few weeks ago, he would have laughed himself silly if someone said he would end up comforting the bloody-Boy-Who-Lived after a nightmare . . . after hexing them to oblivion, of course.

Of course, much of this oddness was because he had recently discovered that the teen was nothing like his father, and in fact had endured a childhood quite similar to his own. But still, it was like he couldn't help himself. He couldn't seem to bear to watch the teen suffer, especially when he could prevent it. These feelings were down right frustrating.

To make matters worse, he was starting to like the little brat.

It was hard not to. Severus was starting to see why the sorting hat had wanted to put Harry in Slytherin. Harry was smart, cunning and full of secrets. He continuously shocked Severus with insights, and he could certainly hold his own in a conversation. Some of their debates had been downright riveting. 

Perhaps that was part of the problem; the teen didn't act his age at all. He challenged Severus intellectually, making it difficult for Severus to see him as a child. He had to admit, he found the teen's mind as attractive as he found his physical features.

_Oh shit._

Severus' eyes widened in shock as realization dawned. His hands tightened around the glass in his hand. _This was just bloody wonderful_. He could deal with being physically attracted to the teen, just barely -- after all, any one with eyes could see Harry was gorgeous, with his dark hair, brilliant green eyes and delicate frame -- but for it to be anything more than that was just too much.

"I can't handle this," Severus muttered, rubbing his temples. Grabbing up his drink, he drained the glass. 

No. Wait. He was blowing this out of portion. He could acknowledge his attraction; all it proved was that Harry was a handsome and bright young man. Nothing more than that. The prospect was only shocking because Severus had never had any interest in one of his students prior to this. He had no interest in children at all. 

However, Harry was not a child, had likely never been. That privilege had been ripped away from him by Voldemort and his relatives. As such, it was impossible to think of him as one.

Hourly chimes cut through Severus' thoughts. Startled, he glanced at the clock, catching sight of the long hand pointing at the one. He sighed. With a quick spell, he vanished his glass to the kitchen. This was utterly ridiculous. Freshly determined, Severus headed toward his room. Time to stop dwelling on this stupidly. 

Upon entering his room, he made his way to his bed, without bothering to turn on the lights. He lay down, slipping between crisp, black sheets. Today had been rather strenuous, and he was tired. Sleep came quickly in the end.

* * *

Crash. Bang. Clang.

Severus? What's with the author?

Harry: She's throwing things.

Severus: (sighs at Harry) I CAN see that.

Harry: Oh!(blushes) Its because she feel in love with this fanfic then the author stopped writing it.

Severus:...I see. (shakes his head sadly)

STOMP,STOMP,STOMP

Author: I hearby swear that this fanfic will be completed. Unless of course I die, then you're just out of luck.

Severus:(rolls eyes) You raided the cookie jar again didn't you?

Author: Yup, which reminds me. If you review I'll give you a cookie.


	15. The art of potion making

This chapter has been beta'd, its not new. Give a big hand to my beta Rachel. She's got to be a saint for putting up with me

Chapter 15

Harry awoke, feeling more refreshed then he had in weeks. Stretching his arms above his head, he kicked his sheets aside, then slid out of bed. From his dresser, he pulled out the blue shirt with the silver dragon. After a short debate, he donned both the shirt and a pair of silver pants. Padding out of his room, the teen headed to the kitchen.

Much to his surprise, Severus wasn't waiting for him. Assuming the older man was still sleeping, Harry pulled down some tea and mugs. Deciding he wasn't up to cooking, he called for Dobby.

The chipper house elf appeared immediately. "Dobby is happy to serve Mr. Potter. What can Dobby due for Mr. Potter?" the elf asked, dancing from one foot to the other.

Smiling slightly at the hyper elf, Harry requested that Dobby bring him and Severus some breakfast from the kitchen.

Delighted to be of help, Dobby vanished with a soft pop.

"It is far too earlier for all this racket." a dry voice said from behind Harry. Turning, Harry smiled at the older man, before catching sight of an ancient tome Severus held firmly in one hand.

"It's a potions book." Severus explained, noticing the Gryffindor's gaze. "It contains a particular potion I thought might be useful in discovering more about your heritage."

"Really? That's awesome," Harry exclaimed. "What kind of potion?" he asked, staring at the tome curiously.

"The potion in question is called a Lineage potion. Like the name suggests, it allows one to view a person's lineage," Severus explained.

Harry nodded in understanding. Figuring out how he was related to Salazar would certainly help clear a few things up.

"Preparing it together would be an opportunity for me to observe your supposed potion abilities," Severus pointed out, smirking.

Harry rolled his eyes.

A soft pop alerted them of Dobby's return. "Master Harry, Dobby has brought you breakfast," Dobby chimed, dancing happily around two silver platters in his hand.

Severus sneered in disgust at the energetic elf. Harry couldn't help but burst out laughing. Shooting the teen a glare, Severus sat down at the table.

Still laughing, Harry joined the older man at the table, while Dobby, still bouncing from foot to foot, placed the platters in front of them. Pulling off the napkin covering the plate, Harry was pleased to find a cheese omelet. He dug in immediately.

"What did you make of the Dark Lord?" Severus asked, breaking the silence.

Surprised by the sudden question Harry almost dropped his fork. Leave it to Severus to ask a question like that, first thing in the morning, no less. "Well," the teen said while pondering the question, "he certainly wasn't what I was expecting," he admitted.

Severus snorted.

Harry confessed, "To be honest he made a lot of interesting points. It was kind of disturbing how much sense it made. I do have a question though." Severus raised an eyebrow in a gesture that meant for him to continue, so he did. "What is Tom's, um, position on Muggles?" Harry asked quietly.

"Tom wasn't treated well at the orphanage where he was raised, as you know, and while he doesn't hate Muggles, he doesn't trust them," Severus explained, twirling his fork in his fingers.

"I can understand that," Harry murmured, recalling his treatment at the hands of his relatives.

"As often as not, mixing wizards with Muggles ends in disaster. Unfortunately, humans tend to fear what they don't understand." Severus sighed, and went on, "This human fault has been proven through out history," he murmured with a small frown.

"Like the Spanish inquisition?" Harry asked, vaguely recalling Binns mentioning it in class.

"Yes. That was the most famous incident where wizards and witches were hunted down and slaughtered," Severus spat.

Harry shuddered at the venom in the older man's voice.

After a moment, Severus regained control of his anger and said, "It is the Dark Lord's belief, and I'm inclined to agree, that the Muggle and wizarding worlds must be kept separate. Those who marry into our world must become a part of it. There is too much risk in letting Muggles know about our existence," Severus explained.

Harry nodded, a thoughtful expression on his face. "And the Muggleborn?" the teen asked, thinking about Hermione.

"They'd have to choose whether they wish to become part of the wizard community or stay a part of the Muggle one, after they graduate from Hogwarts or another wizarding school. If they choose to stay in the Muggle world, their powers would be bound. Of course, they would be allowed to change their minds later on, if they desire," Severus answered.

For a couple of minutes they ate breakfast in silence, while Harry considered what the older man had said. Picking at the remains of his omelet, he could help but agree with the ideas. He had seen first hand how Muggles reacted when confronted with magic.

Finished eating, Severus stood. Harry placed his fork on top of his plate and followed, knowing that Dobby would take care of the dishes. The Slytherin led Harry down the hall to a door at the far end, which Harry had not yet explored. Grabbing the handle, Severus opened the door to reveal what was no doubt the man's potions' lab. There was a large, sturdy table in the center of the room with several small cauldrons on it. Two larger cauldrons sat near the back, one filled with a dark green liquid Harry didn't recognize. Cabinets and shelves stuffed with potion ingredients lined one whole wall of the room.

"Sweet room," Harry commented as he looked around. There was a silly grin on his face as warmth bubbled up inside him, at the fact that Severus trusted him enough to allow him into his lab.

"Glad you like it so much," Severus said dryly. Harry snickered. Sighing, Severus walked over to the table. "Well, let's see what you can do, brat." Severus placed the tome on the table. After flipping through the pages, he opened to the correct instructions.

"Wow, finally a potion the great Potion Master doesn't know by heart," Harry murmured, not quite under his breath.

"Not all of us are incapable of memorizing." Severus sneered. "However, this particular potion is not one I've ever needed to brew prior to this incident."

"Does that mean I might get the chance to see you blow something up?" Harry asked cheerfully.

"Not likely," Severus spat, shooting the teen a death glare. "Besides, surely you don't believe I'd let you assist if I thought that this was a complex potion. I have no intention of letting you blow up my lab," he pointed out.

Harry laughed, not taking the Slytherin's insults seriously. "And there's the greasy grit we all know and love."

Severus let out a long suffering sigh. Stalking over to a cabinet, he pulled out the necessary ingredients. He placed the ingredients gently on the table so none of the fresh herbs would bruise.

Harry joined him, and, glancing at the book, he grabbed a couple of ingredients and started to slice them into tiny pieces. Severus raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.

Watching Severus work out of the corner of his eye, Harry readied the ingredients. The older man was an amazing sight to behold as he created his potion. He added ingredients with precision, his fingers dancing over each item, making sure to add them at the exact time while carefully stirring the cauldron in smooth circles. No scrap was wasted.

A short time later, and each ingredient had been added, and Severus was stirring the dark blue liquid. Quietly, Harry cleaned up his mess, smiling slightly at the older man who looked lost in his work. He had to admit, Severus was elegant, with his black robes swirling him as he moved gracefully around the table.

"It needs to simmer," Severus murmured at last, as he stepped away from the cauldron. Pushing back a strand of hair that had fallen across his face, he drew his wand and quickly cast a spell, one which Harry recognized as a preservation charm.

"Unfortunately, this potion must simmer for 30 days until it can be used," Severus explained as he moved the cauldron to the side.

Harry nodded in understanding; he had expected that to be the case. Most advanced potions took a while to be finished.

"It seems you're not a complete lost cause," Severus murmured. "You managed to dice the boomslang skin properly, for once." He sneered, but his onyx eyes glittered in amusement, and to Harry's surprise, pride, instead of derision.

Shaking his head, Harry turned towards the door, not wanting the older man to see how thrilled he was at the off handed compliment.

They left together, and, in unspoken agreement, headed to the living room. Much to Harry's shock, the clock hanging on the wall revealed it to be half-past five. How did it get to be so late?

Seeing the shocked looked on the younger man's face, Severus chuckled. "Lose track of time?" the Potion Master asked, smiling slightly. When Harry nodded, Severus admitted, "I often find that to be the case when I'm brewing." He sat down on the couch.

"I could tell. You were practically in a trance while you were brewing," Harry replied, sitting down next to the older man, and then leaning back against the cushions. They sat in silence for a few minutes just relaxing.

"I've decided," Harry declared suddenly, breaking the silence.

Severus turned to look at the younger man.

"I'm going to join Voldemort," Harry continued determinedly. "I'm sick and tired of Dumbledore's manipulations. I refuse to be his puppet any more. Voldemort, no _Tom Riddle_ has proven to be a far better leader then Albus Dumbledore. And I find his ideas far more appealing," Harry finished, finally meeting Severus' eyes.

The older man stared at him at in shock. Despite everything that had happened in the last few days, Harry's little speech was the last thing he had been expecting. At best, both he and Tom had believed it would take months to woo the teen to their side. After all, he had been fed lies about the Dark Lord since he first entered the wizarding world, not to mention the numerous attempts on his life. It seemed Dumbledore had screwed up tremendously, if the teen was willing to throw his lot in with them so quickly. Not that Severus was complaining.

"You're surprised by my sudden decision," Harry stated, smiling softly. "It's actually not that sudden. I had been considering approaching Voldemort on my own for some time now. You know, the enemy of my enemy is my friend and all that? But I refrained because I had no way of knowing if he was any better then Dumbledore," Harry explained.

"I see." Severus frowned for a second, considering.

"I guess this means we're on the same side now," Harry said softly.

"I guess we are," Severus admitted. His lips turned up in a soft smile, making him look years younger.


	16. over to the darkside

Hey, sorry about it being late. Good news is that my next chapter is already typed. I'm going to send it to my beta on tuesday, so you'll get it around thursday. Thanks for all your support. Love you all.

Once again Harry found himself on the floor of thornfield manor

Once again, Harry found himself on the floor of Thornfield Manor. This time the room was empty when he came through the Floo. Standing quickly, he backed out of the way so Severus could come through. The older man appeared in the fire place and stepped out with an ease Harry could only be envious of.

Severus' gaze met Harry's for a second before he turned his attention to something behind the teen. Turning, Harry saw the Lord Voldemort standing in the doorway. The man was dressed in a set of blood red robes embroidered with runes Harry didn't recognize.

"Gryffindor colors again?" Harry asked cheerfully, trying to cover up his nervousness.

Severus groaned at the teen's complete lack of respect.

"You do realize I could kill you for that comment," Voldemort murmured, glaring at the teen.

"Probably," Harry replied cheerfully, brushing aside the fear that welled up at Voldemort's easy threat. Not that anyone would blame him for being afraid, considering the older man had tried to kill him on several occasions. But as long as he didn't _show_ as much. . . .

Shaking his head at the boy's obvious bravado, Voldemort stepped into the room. "Why are you here?" he asked Severus, shooting a quick glance at the Potions Master, but when Snape nodded slightly at Harry, indicating that it was the Gryffindor's show, the Dark Lord merely raised an eyebrow and turned his attention back to the teen.

"I'm sick of Dumbledore's manipulations in my life," Harry murmured, and the smile slipped from his face briefly. For a single moment only, the Gryffindor's careful mask slipped, and Voldemort could see the raw anger and soul-weary pain in the young man's eyes, before the rage and despair were replaced by a cheerful smile once more.

"Oh?" Voldemort asked, uncertain of where, exactly, this was going.

"I want to join you!" Harry continued, looking determinedly at the older man.

Ruby eyes widened in shock. That was not even close to what Voldemort was expecting. Not to mention, the boy's "decision" was ridiculously sudden.

"You seem shocked," Harry pointed out, smirking at the Dark Lord.

"Perhaps a bit," Voldemort allowed, schooling his expression to his customary blank mask. "You will have to excuse my . . . surprise. You must admit, this is a rather sudden change."

"Not to mention, I'm the Icon of the Light, Savior of the Wizarding World and all that rot," Harry grumbled, rolling his eyes.

"Well, there is that. In all honesty, I had hoped to bring you to my side, but I expected it to take months of courting while I convinced you the crap the Old Coot was spewing was just a pack of lies," Voldemort admitted. His gaze flickered towards Severus for a second.

Noticing the glance, Harry realized that Severus would've been the one doing the courting. Which made sense; after all, it was not like Tom could show up at Hogwarts for such sessions. Though, it would have been rather amusing if he had. Shame really.

"So, I guess you weren't expecting me to already be rebelling against Dumbledore, and his plans to use me as his glorious little pawn," Harry murmured.

Voldemort inclined his head. "Indeed not."

"Sorry to disappoint." Harry smirked. "Actually, like I told Severus," Harry nodded to the Potions Master, "If things hadn't turned out the way they did, like this, I would've found some way to approach you myself anyway. Dumbledore's been using me for his own schemes for a while now, and I'm sick of it. I'm tired of being used for the greater good," he spat.

"Rather Slytherin attitude for a Gryffindor," Voldemort remarked.

"Well, the Sorting Hat said I'd have done well in Slytherin," Harry replied with another smirk.

Voldemort's eyes widened for a brief second before he sighed. "Why am I not surprised?" he muttered, sounding almost harried.

Severus snickered softly as he watched the exchange, but hid all trace of amusement behind his hand. It would never do to have the Dark Lord think he was being mocked.

"Of course, that might have something to do with this bloody ring," Harry said thoughtfully, while pulling the Slytherin ring out of his pocket.

Recognizing the ring immediately, Voldemort choked, and his cool Slytherin facade shattered. "How?" he gasped. "Why?"

Harry just shrugged. He wasn't really sure how he had ended up with the bloody thing to begin with.

"It appeared when he took a blood test at Gringotts, my Lord," Severus explained, sounding amused. He was enjoying the situation, now that he wasn't the one being shocked at every turn by this boy, whom they had believed to be Dumbledore's pawn. How wrong they had been, truly. Not to mention, it wasn't every day one was allowed to see the Dark Lord himself become so flustered.

"You're enjoying this far too much," Voldemort snarled at the Potions Master, who lifted an eyebrow in return, but that was all.

Unable to contain himself, Harry started to laugh at the two of them. They were acting nothing like he had expected. When Voldemort and Severus both turned to stare at the hysterical teen, he regained control of himself. "Sorry," he said at last. "It's just, you're not what I expected. And to be honest, I found your behavior a relief."

Both men frowned, but Voldemort caught on first. "You weren't sure how much of what you heard was lies and how much was truth," he said softly. Harry nodded, and Voldemort continued, "And yet you walked right into the snake pit anyway."

"I figured your 'pit' had to be better than letting Dumbledore control my life any longer." Harry clenched his fists, wishing he could punch the old man into next week. Every time he thought about what had happened because of Dumbledore, he wanted to scream. He had to unclench his jaw to say, "He fucked with me and my life for too long. _No more_."

Severus sighed and placed a hand on the Gryffindor's shoulder, and Harry relaxed somewhat, letting Snape's touch ground him.

"Both he and your relatives will pay," Voldemort hissed. His ruby eyes flared with barely contained rage, but when Harry looked at him in surprise, Tom's expression softened slightly. "Dumbledore fucked with my life too," he explained. "I know what it's like to be raped and treated like you are worthless. This war has . . ." He sighed, shook his head once. "_I_ have done ruthless things of which I'm not proud, however, I cannot abide the abuse of a child. And the callousness with which that man uses you and others makes me sick," Voldemort said in disgust.

Hesitantly Harry reached out and touched the older man's shoulder. "We'll make him pay," the teen promised.

The dark lord nodded slightly with a tight smile. "That we will," he swore, and Harry dropped his hand from the man's shoulder. "Now, as to making you a Death Eater, I don't believe marking you is in our best interests. The last thing we need is for Dumbledore to find out you are on my side. However, you're going to need a way to get to my manor," Tom murmured, thoughtlessly running a hand through his hair as he paced.

"To get into the manor?" Harry asked Severus in confusion, after the Dark Lord stalked out of the room muttering about some spell.

"There is a ward placed on the manor that only allows Tom or those with the Dark Mark to enter, in order to prevent the Ministry or Dumbledore from getting inside. You've only been able to enter because I've been with you. In the future, that might not always be the case," Severus replied.

The Dark Lord returned moments later with a silver chain of some sort in hand. "You'll wear this," Voldemort declared, revealing the silver necklace and its pendant: a snake curled around a large emerald. After pulling out his wand, Voldemort cast a spell in Parseltongue on the pendant. Satisfied, he handed it to the teen.

Harry took the necklace, but peered at the pendant, wondering what the spell was for.

The Dark Lord smugly answered Harry's unasked question: "It has the same spell on it as the Dark Mark does. When I call, you can use the pendant to come to the manor."

Amused by Voldemort's apparent delight in his own spell work, Harry slid the chain over his head and tucked it in his shirt, out of sight. Dumbledore probably wouldn't notice the pendant, nor ever realize it had any spells on it, but there was no reason for Harry to not be careful, either, and he figured the safest bet would be to keep the necklace a secret for as long as he could.

"Now, as to your first mission, I believe you, Severus and I shall pay a long overdue visit to your _loving_ relatives," Voldemort said with a sneer, though he was watching the teen carefully to gauge his reaction.

Much to his pleasure, Harry's eyes lit up with malicious glee, and the teen whispered, "That sounds like fun," even as he closed his eyes, picturing what tortures he wanted to visit upon Petunia, Dudley, and _Vernon_ most of all. "I want...I want them to pay for how they treated me. Especially my Uncle," he admitted.

"And they will," Severus purred, his black eyes glowing dangerously. "They most certainly will."

Standing between the two older wizards as they plotted revenge against those who had wronged him, Harry felt truly happy.

* * *

Hey guys I've seen these authors who agree to write a one shot to a certain reviewer. I've decided to do that. So my 350th review will get to choose a one shot between any two characters in harry potter or any anime I know well enough, with a plot idea of their choice. So review my slaves.

Severus: She's gone off the deep end.

Harry: sighs.


	17. guilt

You've probably all forgotten about me. Sorry. I didn't fall of the face of the earth, my computer did. Sadly it broke. I got a nice new shiny one though. Took along time, I'm not exactly rich, being in college and all. This chapter isn't that long, I had already started it before my computer broke and I couldn't remember what I wrote. Between not knowing and not beginning able to read Snarry my motivation was there. However my next chapter shouldn't be long in coming, a week or two. Thanks for reading my fic despite the issues. Love you all.

Oh and sorry about the mistakes, I don't have a beta at the moment. I have to go and beg her to take me back after all this time. Thought you would want your chapter first.

Chapter 17

Harry stumbled out of bed exhausted. Last night had drained him not to mention the nightmares that followed. Sighing he dragged himself toward the bathroom and readied himself for his first day back. At least waking up so late meant that he had the place all to himself; he wouldn't have to worry about having to cast glamour to hide the scars. Showering quickly he hurried down to breakfast. The great Hall was filled with students chattering loudly. Plates of food lay across the four long wooden tables.

His so called friends were waiting for him at the Gryffindor table. Mentally sighing he sat down next Ron. A quick glance at the table told him Severus had already left. Not that he was surprised the man was an early riser. Still not use to food after months of little to none Harry dished himself out a small bowl and a piece of toast and jam.

"Harry, you need to eat more than that." Hermione exclaimed, leaning over Ron, who was buried in his meal, in false concern. Harry clenched his fork, forcing down a snarl. The constant nagging had been bad enough before when he thought she was just worrying about him. Now that he knew that she was getting pay by Dumbledork from his own accounts no less it was all he could do to keep from losing his temper. She had no right to tell him what he could and could not eat.

"Yeah Harry," Ron agreed from behind a mouthful of food. Harry winced at the globs of food dripping down the teen's face. Gobs of food filled his plate, making it almost impossible to tell what exactly the stuff had originally been.

"I'm fine." Harry managed at last, through a large force of will. Ron shrugged and returned to his food. Hermione looked at him doubtfully but didn't say anything more, much to Harry's relief. Merlin, this was going to be difficult.

"Hey Harry how was your summer?" Neville asked from across the table. Harry looked up at the slightly chubby teen, not sure if he should be relieved for distraction or even more uncomfortable at the new turn in the conversation.

"No different than normal." Harry answered, shrugging. Despite his bland voice there was an icy look in his eyes that warned against further questions. Neville nodded before turning to Dean.

Much to Harry's relief the rest of breakfast was quiet. Classes would give less opportunity for the never ending questions and he couldn't wait until they started tomorrow. God he missed Severus and his rooms. All these people were making him uncomfortable, pressing around him.

Normally he was glad of the few days they got to settle in but now it was all he could do to stop from screaming. His friends had spent the whole time following him around asking questions and trying their best to find out what had happened over the summer. Seeing as they hadn't written him once over the summer, he wasn't really in the mood to explain.

He had taken to hiding in the library. At first they couldn't find him but eventually someone had squealed. But at least they couldn't pester him while there in fear that they would get kicked out. Though Ron kept complaining during meals and both of them had made several attempts to get him to go elsewhere.

Actually it was rather strange they spent the whole time in the library with him if the caught up to him. After all Ron practically loathed the place. Of course it could just be a last ditch attempted to finish his summer homework. Either way it was getting plan annoying and he was getting quite sick of it.

He sighed, wishfully thinking about Severus library. It was rather large and quiet it was a shame he couldn't go read there. Wait; actually there was no reason why he couldn't. Severus wouldn't mind and if dumbles complained he could point out that the man had wanted Severus to help him recover and all the students were making him feel uncomfortable. It wasn't even a lie. Satisfied he quickly left the great hall making a beeline toward the dungeons before his friends had a chance to realize what was happening.

Please review.

Severus: If you make her feel guilty she might update faster.

Author: Hush you.


	18. As we stumble forward, literally

Author: I'm back and here is my next chapter. And it didn't take me a month or more to post it.

Severus: It did take you three weeks.

Author: Wahh. Sevie you meanie at least I go it up.

Severus: You not the only one who go something up.

Author: Severus go annoy harry or I'll make sure it takes forever before you get to jump him.

Severus: ...leaves...

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, Severus and Rowling do. This contain Snarry, Rape and Violence.

Much to Harry's annoyance Ron cornered him the minute he stepped out of potions class. Silently Harry cursed the fact that Severus always held his class a few minutes after dismissal. He had hoped to slip out quickly and avoid his so-called "friends".

And of course the first thing out of the red head's mouth was to ask how they could bear dealing with the grease grit. Ignoring him Harry headed toward their next class leaving the red-head muttering as he fell in step with Hermione. No doubt he would be lectured about this later but he wasn't up to listening to the teen insult the man after everything he had done for him. Hmm, perhaps he should tell the two about what happened. Not all of it of course, but enough to explain his change in behavior and his reason for not insulting his is formally despised professor.

Sighing to himself he walked through the hall ignoring both the frantic murmuring behind him and the normal stares and whispers he normally got from the other students, especially the first years. He had long since learned to ignore them, but it didn't change the fact that it was irritating to be gawked at.

Approaching the staircase he paused to wait for it to swing back over. Unfortunately it gave Ron and Hermione the chance to start their integration.

"Harry what's wrong with you. First you barely touch breakfast and now you're ignoring Ron and me." Hermione lectured shaking her finger in his face. Stepping back slightly, he shifted the close proximity making him uncomfortable. And the yelling wasn't helping, fortunately she didn't have the presence that his Uncle had otherwise he might have reacted more violently. The last thing he wanted was to give the gossiping masses something else to use against him. He hadn't forgotten the incident in second year or the news articles in 5th.

"Well?" She snapped drawing him out of his thoughts.

"A lot happened over the summer at my relatives and I ended up staying here for awhile. Professor Snape pretty much ended up patching me up and well I can't say we exactly get along but well it's kind of hard to hate him after everything and he's not as hostile as before. I think seeing that I'm not a pampered prince altered his perception of me." Harry explained feeling uncomfortable. He still wasn't use to talking about how the Dursely's treated them.

He was expecting shock or pity, perhaps even guilt. Not the smug satisfaction he saw in Ron's eyes which the teen quickly covered up. Hermione however looked both horrified and slightly guilt. Perhaps Harry thought she hadn't realized exactly what was going on. Or maybe she was just a better actor. Something to check into. It however was plainly clear that Ron had betrayed him.

He reached Charms with a heavy heart and several plans for the future.

...

It wasn't until after dinner that Harry got to see Severus again. It was not however how he was expecting to met the snarky older man. In fact he hadn't seen the man until he had collided into him as he and several others including Ron and Hermione had rushed around the corner of the hallway in an attempt to escape beginning a target to Peeves who was tossing water balloons at students who had the misfortune to pass by.

"Potter, you imbecile idiot. Is it to much to ask for you to watch where you're going?" Severus hissed from underneath the teen. Harry blushed as he realized that he was on top of the older man straddling him a hand pressed against the Slytherin's firm chest. The teen could feel the heat radiating from the older man's body. Looking down at the man Harry couldn't help but think the he was absolutely striking with his ebony eyes and hair and his pale ivory skin.

"Potter quite gaping at me and get off," Severus snapped, felling extremely embarrassed. If the teen stayed were he was at there was no way he wasn't going to embarrass himself. He could already feel himself hardening at the feel of being pressed against the teen's supple body.

Stuttering Harry went to get up. Unfortunately for Severus the teen had to wiggle in order to untangle their limbs pressing his ass against his cock.

Harry froze feeling the older man's cock pressing against. Apart of him immediately started to hyperventilate and he turned a panicked gaze at Severus who shifted uncomfortably.

Looking into the eyes of the man who had patched him up and who had been raped as well as a child and relaxed. He trusted Severus not to do anything and it was pointless to panic in front of all these peoples. He stood up slowly trying not to make anything more uncomfortable then it already was.

Severus stood as well, grateful that his robes hid his erection. For a second he stared at Harry. Despite the fact that he couldn't control his reaction he felt guilt for making the teen uncomfortable. After all he had just been raped by his Uncle, to feel his professor's arousal pressed up against him no doubt drew up horrible memories. Not to mention the fact that the teen was his student and he had no right to feel the way he did to begin with.

"Potter," he snarled, pulling himself from his thoughts, "Detention, tonight at 8:00 p.m. sharp" he sneered recalling the fact that he been looking for a reason. Stalking off he went to go relieve himself before the teen showed up in an hour. Harry stared after him for a second in confusion.

"That prick," Ron spat "acting all high and mighty. It's not like you did it on purpose." Harry sighed looking at the other teen.

"At least he didn't take any points," Hermione pointed out looking thoughtful. Ron snorted.

"He probably left so he could go plan ways to torture Harry during detention." Ron muttered.

.

At 8 o'clock sharp Harry rapped on the door to Severus's room, tense and nervous. Despite everything apart of him was still afraid of what the older man might do to him.

"Come in," Severus called. Harry complied. Once in the room Harry found the older man facing the fireplace his back to the teen.

"I would like to apologize for the incident earlier today. It had not been my intention to put you in such an uncomfortable situation." Severus murmured quietly.

"It has been quite sometime since I have been in a relationship. The close proximity..."Severus paused looking rather embarrassed much to Harry's surprise.

"I'm afraid I reacted to the physical contact," he said at last. Turning he looked Harry straight in the eye.

"I would never force another to summit to my pleasure. I know all to well what it is like to be forced into such a position." the man stated firmly. Harry nodded slowly.

"I think I understand. You can't really stop how your body reacts to something but that doesn't mean your going to use me like my Uncle did. I trust you." Harry whispered. Severus smiled softly at the teen.

"Now as to why your here, Tom wants you to attend a mission tonight." The potion master explained.

"Mission?" Harry asked confused for a second by the murderous gleam in the older man's eyes. Then comprehension dawn, "Wait you don't mean..." he trailed off.

"Yes we're going to pay a visit to your "loving" relatives." Severus murmured giving the teen a dark smirk. Harry stared at the man as emotions warred with each. Fear battling with a burning desire for revenge. Severus placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and together they stepped into the fireplace and toward Thornfield.

* * *

IF you still Luv me please review.

I was requested to make Hermione good. What do you think? Should she be good or evil? Vote now.


	19. To Private drive we go!

Hey long to no see. Sorry about all the time it took to update. I been busy, school, life and all that. I promise it won't take as long next time. I also promise this will be finished one day. It's just going to take awhile sorry.

* * *

Chapter 20

Harry Potter paced in front of the black marble fireplace, its cheerful flames doing nothing to ease his nervousness. Black deatheater robes, a gift from Voldemort, swirled around him as he strode back and forth. Tonight he was going on his first mission. To make matters worse they were going to be going to his relatives. A part of him dreaded facing his uncle and former torturer, while the darker side, more sadistic side of him was gleefully plotted their deaths, between the warring emotions he was starting to feel rather browbeaten.

"If you keep pacing like that you're going to wear a hole in the floor," Severus snapped from a nearby leather chair. Like Harry he was dressed in the black deatheater robes and a white mask lay in his lap.

"I can't help it. I'm nervous as crap," Harry admitted, running a hand through his hair. Severus raised an eyebrow as he took in the younger man's tense form.

"I'm not sure I can face him. At the same time I want nothing more than to see him pay." Harry admitted shame faced, unable to meet the older man's eyes. Perhaps it was irrational but he feared that the Slytherin who be disgusted by the fear he felt at the idea of confronting his Uncle, a muggle.

Sighing Severus stood up, mask in one hand. He approached the hunched over teen noting the way the teen was shaking ever so slightly. Grabbing the gryffindor's chin he forced the startled green eyes to meet his.

"Your Uncle won't touch you." He promised the teen, "He'd have to get through me first and I suspect Tom as well. He's taken quite a liking to you," Severus murmured caressing Harry's chin.

"I know," Harry whispered, feeling reassured by this gentle touch and the fierce protective look in the other man's eyes. Perhaps with Severus there he could do this, after all the man hadn't let him down yet.

"How much longer do you think Voldemort is going to take?" Harry asked feeling more confident in his ability to face his uncle.

"Hm, he should be back soon. He only went to collect Lucius," Severus murmured thoughtfully. He couldn't help but wonder how his friend would react to seeing Harry. It would no doubt being amusing.

"Lucius? Lucius Malfoy?" Harry asked in surprise. Now that he thought about it, Severus and Malfoy where suppose to be friends.

"Yes, he is coming with us. Tom prefers we always go in pairs." Severus explained absently tracing the teen's lips with a finger. Absently he wondered what it would feel like to kiss them.

"Does he know about me?" Harry asked leaning into the older man's touch, worry working its way into his voice. After all, it wasn't like he was on good terms with the Malfoy family. Not to mention he was suppose to be the icon of the light.

"No he doesn't," Severus answered, "This will no doubt be a rather shocking introduction." The older man smirked down at the teen. Harry smiled back slightly, but found he couldn't help but continue to worry about the elder Malfoy's reaction.

The sound of the door opening caught both men's' attention and over Severus's shoulder Harry caught sight of the silver-haired artistic and the Dark Lord both robed in black robes. Dropping his hand Severus turned to face the other two.

"My lord, while it is my pleasure to serve you, you've yet to explain why you dragged me out of bed at the middle of the night," the blonde aristocrat drawled. Yet despite the complaints the man was as well groomed as ever.

"Ah, Severus perhaps you know what this little late night gets together is about?" Malfoy questioned as he spotted the potion master, not noticing Harry standing behind the Slytherin Head.

"Were going on a raid," Severus answered calmly, though Harry could see the man smirking. Lucius raised an eyebrow, no doubt at the other man's lack of details. Or perhaps it was because Severus had not yet turned around.

"The three of us? And where exactly are we attacking?" Lucius asked in disbelief

"Privet Drive," Voldemort answered venomously, "Harry Potter's _loving_", the word was spat, "relatives house," he expanded, noting the confusion on Lucius's face. "And it will be the four of us", he added nodding toward the teen.

"Four?" Lucius asked, he stepped farther into the room and caught sight of Harry. "Potter, Dumbledore's golden boy?" the man gasped, shocked. Severus snickered. Seeing the elegant aristocrat's utterly bedazzled face Harry couldn't help but join in.

"Would somebody like to explain what the hell is going on?" Lucius demanded.

"Potter has decided to join us. We're going to pay a visit to his relatives tonight." Voldemort explained, amused.

"And when exactly did Potter join us and why in the bloody hell are we going to visit his relatives." Lucius asked massaging his temple with a manicured hand.

"Because they're disgusting excuses for human beings," Severus hissed, "who deserve to be tortured for what they did to Harry while he was in their care."

Lucius paled at the implications of that statement. If his friend's rage and disgust was any indication, Potter's home life had been atrocious.

"And Dumbledore?" he asked with a sinking suspicion.

"He knew!" Harry whispered softly, "He thought it would make me more submissive and easier to mould." His voice was bitter and Lucius couldn't help but fell for the teen. He also couldn't help but notice the way Severus stood, barely an inch away for the teen, a hand gently resting on the gryffindor's shoulder. It seemed his old friend had become fond of the younger man.

"Now that we've sorted this out, I suggest that we get moving before somebody notices these two missing and sends out a search party," Voldemort breaking the silence.

"Harry you'll be side-long appranating with Severus," Voldemort continued. Nodding the teen wrapped an arm around the potion master. Lucius and Severus slide their masks into the dark folds of their robes. Using his spare hand Harry did the same. With a faint pop, Voldemort and Lucius vanished.

"Ready?" Severus asked quietly. Harry snorted, leaning into the older man's warmth.

"I don't think I'll ever be ready," Harry admitted, "So we might as well get this party going anyway." Severus nodded, reaching up he wrapped his arms around the younger man. Harry closed his eyes as the world blurred and with a faint pop they disappeared.

Opening his eyes Harry looked around. They were standing in the graveled alley behind Privet Drive. A few steps away Voldemort and Lucius were scouting the area for any muggles that might be awake. Seeing that it was a little after midnight, Harry privately doubted they'd find anything.

"Tom?" Severus asked catching Harry's attention. The teen turned to look at the Dark Lord. The man was staring at Privet Drive looking extremely pissed. It took all Harry's will power to keep from backing up.

"There are no blood wards," the Dark Lord hissed, "no real protection at all. The only kind of wards on this house are the kind that monitor who leaves the house" Harry froze. No blood wards… The words rang through his head.

"Then what was the point," Harry whispered, "Why did he leave me with those bastards if there were no wards. Why the fuck did he leave me on their doorstep," the teen asked staring desperately at the other men, tears streaming down his face.

"Because he didn't care about you," Voldemort answered softly, "all he cared about was molding you into the perfect tool for him to use. And then, "his voice turned bitter, "to toss away when he no longer has any use for you." Looking into older man's ruby eyes Harry saw understanding and a matching anguish.

"You?" he asked in surprise, "He did that to you?" Voldemort nodded.

"He will be pay for his crimes eventually. However there are others who need to be dealt with now." Lucius murmured, titling his head toward the house, looking disgusted at the unnaturally well kept yard.

Harry looked at the silver-haired man surprised at the venom in his voice. Meeting the teen's eyes Lucius mouth twisted into a vicious grin.

"Those who abuse children are the lowest of the low;" Lucius explained tightly, "a child isn't able to defend themselves. To abuse those who depend on you is despicable." Harry nodded.

Together the four of them approached the back door. With a quick spell the door swung open silently and they entered the place Harry had been forced to live for the last 16 years.

Suppressing a shiver Harry looked around. The familiar room looked somewhat eerie in the silent night, dark shadows distorting the neat and tidy room he had painstakingly cleaned on more than one occasion.

"Lumos" Severus murmured softly, the spell lighting up the room. Turning he looked at Harry expectantly while Voldemort and Lucius cast a view spells to prevent detection.

"The bedrooms are upstairs. Dudley's is on the right and Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia are on the left." Harry explained softly gesturing towards the stairs. Severus nodded heading toward the stairs, Lucius and Voldemort at his heels. Sighing softly Harry nervously followed.

And almost ran into Voldemort as Severus had stopped causing the other two men to pause abruptly.

The potion master was staring horrified at the cupboard under the stairs with its huge menacing locks.

"Did they always?" He asked softly, rage causing his voice to quiver.

"Yes, it was was my room for the first 11 years of my life. When I first started Hogwarts they moved me to Dudley's second bedroom because they were afraid someone would find out. After the end of my fourth year they decided that it was safe and locked me back in there " Harry whispered ashamed.

"Severus?" Lucius asked, looking between his old friend who looked ready to murder someone and the small shaking teen looking down at his feet.

"They locked him in here." Severus hissed his eyes burned with hatred. Lucius glanced at the tiny cupboard horrified. The huge locks took on a more menacing appearance. To keep a child locked up in that thing was inhuman.

"It's not your fault." Voldemort said suddenly. "There was no way you could have prevented it. And you most certainly didn't deserve it. No child could ever deserve such cruelty." He reached over and lightly touched the teen's shoulder.

"He's right," Severus murmured, "Your relatives are disgusting excuses for human beings. No decent person could do this to a child." Harry nodded feeling reassured by the two men who and endured the same as he had.

Noises overhead cut through the moment. A few seconds later an obtuse man in a pair of stained green pajamas came down the stairs. Catching sight of the wizards he blinked stupidly for a second. Recognition pushed its way through the man's sleepy haze as he caught sight of his nephew. Face turning red he opened his mouth to no doubt bellow, taking a menacing step forward.

Three wands pointed at his face swiftly cutting him off.

"Hello Uncle Vernon," Harry said softly.

* * *

Thanks for all the reviews, you don't know how great they make me feel. Oh, and if there is someone willing to beta out there I need one. I kinda lost the email address for the person who my prior beta when my old laptop broke down. I would really appreciate it.

Thank you chris for pointing that out to me. Its been so long since I wrote the first couple of chapters I had forgotten about that. I'm reading over them in hopes of preventing more inconsistencies. Thanks for your help.

Thank as well super slashqueen. I fixed the mask thing. Readers please feel free to point out my mistakes. That's the whole point after all.


	20. What goes around comes around

Hey did you miss me. I had a really hard time with this chapter. I was afraid to make it to graphic incase it went over the fanfiction rate limit. Maybe when this is finished I upload it to adultfanfiction or something and add some more goodies.

This chapter hasn't been beta'd yet. I sent it out but I confess I couldn't wait to post it. When I get the beta'd copy I'll switch it out. Thanks for putting up with me.

Chapter 21

There was something very satisfying about the fear on the obtuse man's face as he struggled to speak. Looking up at the man Severus gave his best sneer, enjoying how the muggle paled his eyes flickering from wand to wand.

"Ah Mr. Dursely, it's so good to finally meet you at last," Tom purred, his eyes murderous belittling his calm tone, "Your nephew has told us all about you." The man turned to glare at Harry accusingly, causing the teen to shrink back, panic clearly written on his face.

Without thinking Severus stepped between the teen and his uncle, with a flick of his wand he cast a stinging hex, stopping the disgusting muggle in his tracks and bend over in pain; he fell forward, tumbling down the stairs to land before the wizards.

"That wasn't very wise," Lucius commented twirling his wand between his fingers, "One would think you'd have enough common sense to not make things worse for yourself, clearly that's giving you too much credit." Vernon looked up at in horror at the three menacing wizards, for the first time truly afraid.

"What's wrong Dursely, you can handle abusing an untrained child who can't fight back, but not three highly trained wizards" Severus asked tracing the path of a drop of sweat with his wand. Vernon shook eyes wide as the three men stalked around him. Lucius shot a cutting curse at the man's shoulder causing the fat man to let out a strangled gasp as blood dripped down from the open wound.

At the sound Severus quickly cast a silencing charm around the house. It wouldn't due for somebody to hear and cut into their fun. Tom nodded to Severus before stepping forward catching Dursely's attention.

"Cucio," the red-eyed lord whispered. The muggle dropped to his knee's screaming in pain. The dark lord held the spell for a few minutes before stepping back to let Severus have some fun. He glanced at Harry as the dark haired man stepped forward. Much to his pleasure the teen was watching the muggle spasm with fascination.

"What's wrong Dursely, you're just laying there blubbering on the ground like a little girl. You certainly didn't have any problems with tossing your nephew around." Severus asked venomously. His words seemed to stir Dursely. The muggle lunged at the potion master.

Smirking Severus stunned the man with a lazy flick before the blubbering fool could touch him. Vernon's frozen body fell to the ground with a crash. He kicked the man is the stomach before kneeling down.

"How does it feel to be the helpless one, unable to defend yourself?" Severus hissed, watching the man's eyes flicker back and forth fearfully. Footsteps caught his attention and he tore his gaze from his prey to the staircase, wand pointed at the horse-like woman in a hideous pink night dress and the small white whale behind her.

"What are you doing to my husband?" the woman shrieked, at the men surrounding her husband. Catching sight of her nephew she shook her finger at the teen.

"You freak how you dare bring more of your kind here. After all we have done for you." Petunia shrieked.

"After all you have done for me?" Harry asked voice cold, as he stepped forward, rage overriding any fear. "You locked me in a cupboard for days on end without food and used me as your personal punching bag. Tell me what exactly I'm I suppose to be grateful for, the endless days of torture, the beatings, the disgust, the lack of toys and clothing. Well Aunt?" Harry snarled, emerald eyes flashing.

"It's all you deserved you freak," Petunia spat, disgust written on every line of her face. Even your own kind didn't want you; they dropped you off here and left you." Harry winced, paling at the statement, his rage vanishing in an instance. Closing his eyes he tried not to break down.

Severus frowned at the woman's words, "…even your own kind..." something wasn't adding up right. He stepped forward.

"You," she hissed recognized him, from the rescue of Harry earlier.

"Yes, me," He snarled, "I promised I'd be back to make you pay for what you did to Lily's child." Severus continued taking pleasure in the way she paled. Suddenly her eyes narrowed and she pointed at him.

"You, you're that horrid boy that Lily uses to play with down the street. The one whose name sounded like a snake." She snapped at him. Harry turned to stare at his teacher in surprise. His mom and Severus had been friends. Why hadn't any one told him?

"You dare?" Severus hissed, "To say Lily's name after what you did to her son. Your own flesh and blood." The dark haired man stepped forward, wand raised.

"He's a murder," She screamed causing Severus to freeze. Seeing that she has caught his attention she continued smugly. "He killed his parents. If it wasn't for him his parents would still be alive. He also killed one of his classmates!" She gloated. Harry paled even more drastically and he started to shake. Seeing the young man's pain Severus spun around and closed the distance between them, sweeping the young man's shaking his form into his arms.

"And where did you come by this information" The dark lord purred, red eyes glimmering with barely controlled rage as he stalked forward.

"Dumbledore, the old man who left him sent a letter. Told us all about the freak's crimes and that he'd be dangerous without a firm hand and strict discipline," Petunia snapped, looking surer of her. Voldemort's eyes narrowed as Harry sobbed into Severus chest, the only warning before he struck.

"Crucio," he murmured, the woman feet gave out from under her and she dropped down stumbling down the stairs with a scream.

"If you had truly believed Harry was dangerous you would have never dared to harm him. Dumbledore's orders were nothing more than an excuse." Voldemort spat. "You disgust me. And now it's time to pay the price for what you have done."

He raised his wand and with a whispered command, green light shot from his wand and struck the woman. Her eyes widen and she went limp. Voldemort then turned.

"And don't think I've forgotten about you Muggle," the dark lord murmured starring down at the frozen form laying on the ground staring at him horrified.

"Not only did you abuse your nephew. You rapped him." Voldemort hissed. "You deserve to suffer for what you've done, sadly however we don't have the time. Nor do I believe that Harry would handle watching me slowly torture you to death that well. Despite what you've done he is still not the kind to enjoy others suffering.

" Castro "He murmured. The fat man's eyes widened in pain and blood blossomed in the front of his pants. Harry's eyes widened in shock at the sight of his uncle's blood, fascinated by the crimson flow.

"What did he just do?" the teen asked Severus softly as he watched the scene with morbid fascination.

"He castrated him." Severus answered calmly, approval coloring his tone. Harry nodded thoughtfully. Apart of him was screaming at him about calmly watching his relative's torture, but the large part of him was thrilled that they were finally getting their due… and that someone cared enough about him to makes them suffer. Turning his attention to his Uncle he watched blood stream from various wounds on the chubby man's body as Lucius and Voldemort took turns casting spells on the helpless man.

"Severus would you like to do the honor." Voldemort asked at last, looking disgusted at the whimpering lump on the floor.

"It would be my honor, my Lord," Severus answered smoothly. Much to Harry's surprise he pulled a second wand out and without releasing the teen pointed it at the teen's uncle.

"After what you've done you deserve far worse than this, but we simply don't have the time. So this is goodbye." He murmured casting the killing curse. A green light shot from his wand striking the muggle. Terrified eyes dulled as he was instantly killed.

"It's over," Harry whispered staring at the dead bodies.

"There's still your cousin." Severus murmured quietly, nodding towards the quivering lump at the top of the stairs. To Harry's disgust the whale had peed his pants.

"I think losing both his parents is punishment enough. He was only following their example." Harry replied. Severus nodded placing an arm around the teen.

"In that case I suggest we leave, before dumbles notices our absence" Severus commented.

"Yes lets go, but first clean up" Voldemort agreed before turning and casting what Harry recognized as a memory spell at his cousin, followed by another one he could quiet make out. A third twist of the man's wand and the dark mark appeared etched into the wall. Both he and Severus started moving about the house casting spells.

"The first spell wiped your cousins memory of are identities, not even dumbles will be able to undo it. The second was to erase the traces of our magic so we cannot be identified." Lucius explained noticing the confusion on Harry's face. "The mark is on a time release that will alert the ministry that the place was attacked. It should go off in a few hours. Plenty of time for us to leave." Harry nodded feeling somewhat relieved. Suddenly a thought occurred to him.

"Is that why Severus used a different wand?" Harry asked. Lucius raised an eyebrow, he hadn't expected the Gryffindor to be so perceptive.

"Yes Dumbledore regularly checks his wand. Of course Severus isn't suppose to know about it." Lucius explained, causing Harry's eyes to narrow.

"Is it possible he does the same to mine?" He asked worried. Lucius looked thoughtful for a second before shrugging, something the teen hadn't expected from the refined aristocrat.

"It's quite possible. You should ask Severus to check for you. He's rather good at those kinds of things." Lucius replied. Harry nodded making plans to do just that.

"Finished," Voldemort declared satisfied and he and Severus rejoined them, "It's time to leave."

"Put on your masks, I intend to make sure Dumbles knows what happened here" the dark lord commanded, smiling darkly as his image simmer shifting into the appearance Harry recognized from his fourth year.. The all complied and together the four of them walked out into the night.

I do not own Harry Potter, nor do I know latin. I will be using an english latin translator for my latin words. If you do know latin feel free to alert me to any mistakes.

Severus: "Merlin help us."

Harry: "Hey, leave her alone, its not her fault she butchers languages."

Author: ...gee, thanks...

Severus..snickers..

Harry: (blushes) "Sorry"

Severus: still snickering

Author: (glares) "thats it no Harry for you!" (points at Severus) "I'm going to make this a vol/harry story"

Severus: (pales) "No, not my harry." (grabs harry)

Harry: "please forgive him he knows not what he does."(puppy dog eyes)

Author: Uhh! (turns to goo from the cuteness) Okay. But only this time


	21. Escape into the night

Chapter 22

The streetlight, the only light on the street, stood out against the black background casting shadows across the lawn. The four men cloaked in black robes slide quietly into the shadows of the night, white masks gleaming in the moonlight.

Harry trailed behind the other three men, lost in thought. The last couple of hours had been rather eventful and he had a lot to consider. So occupied by his thoughts he didn't realize the others had stopped walking until he had almost walked into them.

"Show time," Severus murmured drawing his wand. With a swift the bushes around the house shot up in flames. Harry watched as the green flames licked at the side of the house and started to spread. The smell of smoke reached his nose causing him to step back a few paces, allowing him to catch sight of Lucius with his wand in hand as he prepared to cast.

A loud bang shattered the silence of the and sparks of red and orange shot up into the sky, only to slowly float down like embers caught in the wind.

"I think we go their attention," Lucius stated calmly nodded to the one of the houses lining the streets.

The lights were now on and Harry could see several faces pressed to the glass. A quick glance around revealed that it several house now had lit rooms. Glancing back and the flames Harry turned to Severus worried.

"Won't the flames spread to the other houses?" he asked concerned. After all the neighbors had never down anything to him, they didn't deserve to suffer because his Aunt and Uncle had abused him.

Seeing the teens concern Severus shook his head. "No the flames are charmed to only burn the house, it won't burn anything else, both the neighbors and your cousin are safe."

"Now that we have left a message it's time to go" the dark lord murmured. Severus wrapped his arm around Harry and the four of the vanished into the no longer silent night

Albus Dumbledore was a woken to the sound of the monitoring alarms going off. A few minutes later he and several member of the Order arrived at the Dursely's home only to discover that the house was burnt to the ground with the dark mark over head and both Harry's Aunt and Uncle were dead.

Ruthlessly he question Harry's cousin and neighbors only to discover that the boy had be oblivated and could remember nothing and the neighbors had seen nothing more than the fire and four masked men. No amount of spells or magic could reveal the culprits; the place had been wiped clean of magical traces.

Frustrated Dumbledore returned to Hogwarts. He paced his office, viciously destroying the items in his office, sparing only those that he wouldn't be able to replace. Not only had he lost a way to control the boy, but when the public learned that Voldemort had been able to kill their Savior's relatives they start questioning him on why he had insisted on sending the boy back despite his dislike of his relatives.

Ignoring Fawkes chirps of alarm he sat down in his chair. Tom may have set him back a bet but he would not allow it to stop him. Other arrangements could be made and the Weasleys would make sure that the boy remained in his power; the boy would never go against them since he considered them family.

However tomorrow he would have to question Severus as to why he hadn't be warned about the attack, it wouldn't due to let Tom do any more really damage to his plan.

"So why all the dramatics when we left?" Harry asked curiously, as they sat round the fireplace back at Tom's manor. After all, they had gone through a great deal of trouble to remain unnoticed prior to their big exit.

"We want to make sure it's clear who attacked your relatives." Voldemort explained, from a large leather chair to his left, "Not only will it be a show of strength, but it will cause people to doubt Dumbledore because he swore that they were under the best protection."

"Ah," Harry said thoughtfully. If they could shake the people's belief in Dumbledore then he would lose his support base. What's more, there were those who followed the man who might be convinced to join them if they learned the truth about the man and his manipulations. Both would be a blow the light side. And there was no doubt that the knowledge that their savior hadn't been as safe as they thought under the headmaster's protection would cause doubts among the people who trusted Dumbledore.

"You know," Harry said slowly, "if the way my relatives treated me got out, it would cause a great deal of trouble for Dumbledore, especially if we could prove he knew something about it."

Voldemort nodded, crimson eyes staring searchingly at the teen before him, surprised that the he would be willing to let others learn about the way he was treated. Being abused he understood all too well how difficult it was to allow others to know about it. It was just too easy to believe that you deserved it, and that people would loath you if they knew.

"It would be necessary to go into detail, just rumors that your relatives hated magic and weren't appropriate guardians would suffice." Lucius pointed out, "Especially if combine with the idea that there was no reason for you to be there to begin with, since clearly it wasn't safe."

"True, what's more it would be a good chance to find out which members knew of Dumbledore's actions and who we might possibly convince to join us." Severus murmured from next to Harry on the comfortable black loveseat the two of them and claimed on their return. It was clear that the man's mind was spinning with ideas and plans as he considered the best way to members of the Order were aware of handle the situation.

"The idea merits a great deal of thought. However it is neither the time nor the place, Severus if you would escort young Harry back to Hogwarts. It is quite late." Voldemort command cutting off, what would no doubt be a lengthy debate, on how best to undermine Dumbledore.

"Of course, My Lord," Severus answered smoothly placing a hand on the teen's shoulder as they stood. Harry yawn his agreement and the two of them left through the floo.

"Well," Lucius murmured after the two had vanished in the fireplace and the flames had returned to their normal yellow-orange, "this has been a most eventful evening. I confess to being quite startled be this sudden change in events. Young Potter's change in alliance was quite an unexpected surprise."

"That it was, I never would have suspected that Dumbledore would once again repeat his mistake once again. You would think that he would have learned his lesson the first time." Voldemort spat. Lucius just shook his head in agreement. For a while the two of them sat there in silence, lost in past memories. The fire crackled in the hearth, the only sound to be heard in the room.

"I was surprise by the way Severus acted around the teen. While I expected the lack of antagonism between the two and even a tenuous friendship, I've would have never anticipated the how close those two have gotten, especially considering that they use to loath each other." Lucius admitted to his lord.

"Even more surprising is how protective Severus is of the teen. I don't think I've ever seen him act like such a mother hen before." Lucius continued thoughtfully. Voldemort smirked at the blonde. He too had noticed the potion master's behavior and recognized it for what it was.

"Yes, it does seem that Severus is quite taken with him." Voldemort commented, studying the blonde's reaction to see if the other man had reached the same conclusion.

"That does seem to be the cause. One must wonder how Mr. Potter will take such news." Lucius murmured softly, concerned for his old friend.

"I think perhaps that the two are well suited for each other. With time and a some wooing I suspect that Severus will be able to win over our young gryffindor's heart. It will however take a great deal patience on Severus part, after all young Harry was recently raped. However, Severus is probably the best person suited to such a undergoing." Voldemort confined.

"Of course this is all just speculation on my part at this time." The dark lord admitted with a rather out of character shrug.

"Hm, perhaps it is in their best interests if we, shall we say, nudge things along?" Lucius mused out loud. Voldemort took one look at the devious look in the man's eyes and smirked. Severus and Harry won't know what hit them.

It wasn't until well after 2 a.m. that Harry managed to drag himself up the steps and back to the Gryffindor tower, waking the fat lady in the process. Tired he murmured the password, ignoring her complaints and entered the empty common room. Upon reaching the boy's dorm room he collapsed onto the bed, snuggling into the red and gold comforter.

Quickly he cast a spell to change his clothes to pajamas; one of the items Severus had bought him, and set up a silencing charm tucking his wand under his pillow. Within seconds he was sound asleep. He never noticed Ron sit up in the darkness and glare at him before quietly leaving the boy's dorm room.


	22. The joys of adulthood

Chapter 22 is new but there has also been some fixes. Sorry I made a major mistake and had to fix it. Chapter 17 and 18 and this one have been altered.

Author: Hey folks did you miss me? Here's the next chapter.

Severus: About bloody time.

Harry: Be nice, at least she finished it.

Author:_ pouts _I got it done. :(

Author: Well I hope you enjoy this chapter. I don't own Harry Potter, if I did Severus would have jumped Harry. Yes there is yaoi, slash, whatever you want to call it. Though how you could have missed that by this point is beyond me. There is also child abuse and nonconsent. Also rather hard to miss.

I really need a beta and would appreciate volunteers.

**Thanks for reading my story. I appreciate all your reviews**

**Chapter 22**

The sound of chattering filled the halls of Hogwarts as students made their way down to breakfast for the first day of class. Harry strolled through the packed halls, ignoring the stares of his fellow students, after several years he had gotten pretty good at ignoring them. For once he was in a good mood. Last night's visit to his relatives had renewed some of his confidence in himself.

It was hard not to feel like he was worth something when the three Slytherins, who had no reason to care about him, were so outraged by what they had seen. And he had felt safe surrounded by the three of them; Severus's holding him tight while the other two had stood between him and his relatives

It was the first time anyone had stood up for him, and it had given him an incredible feeling. This was no doubt the reason why he couldn't stop smiling as he headed toward the great hall. Not even the sight of Ron shoving food into his mouth, ignoring the fact that he was getting pieces of food on his second-hand robes, and Hermione nibbling on a piece of toast book in hand could dampen his mood.

"Good Morning Harry, your running late," Neville called from across the table when the Gryffindor sat down. Harry smiled at the teen. Neville had grown quite a backbone in comparison to their first year. He had lost some weight and was a lot more confident in himself.

"Yes, Professor McGonagall will be handing out schedules in a few minute," Hermione snapped looking over the edge of her book.

"Yeah mate, picked a bad day to sleep in," Ron mumbled, or at least that's what Harry assumed it was hard to tell with all the food in his mouth. Fortunately it diverted Hermione's attention as she started to rant at the red head about his lack of manners. Ignoring the two Harry served himself some porridge and fruit. Thanks to Severus's care and potions he was actually able to eat a decent size breakfast today, though it was still a lot less than most of the other students who always seemed to be starved.

"You seem like you're in a good mood," Neville commented as Harry nibbled on his breakfast.

"Yeah, I went on a walk last night and managed to sort things out in my head a bit, and of course it is great to be away from the Dursely's." Harry explained sticking the cover story that he and Severus had agreed on.

"That's good. You were rather depressed before you left," Neville murmured embarrassed. Several heads nodded their agreement. Not that Harry was surprised; the death of his Godfather had hit him hard.

"So that's where you were last night mate, I noticed your bed was empty." Ron grabbled out around his food. Clearly Hermione's lecture had once again missed its mark.

"Yeah, walking helps clear my head. I sleep a lot better." Harry explained softly. And it wasn't even a lie, he did sleep better after his little stroll last night.

"If the teachers catch you, you'll lose points for Gryffindor," Hermione lectured frowning at him. Harry suppressed a glare.

"Lay off 'Mione," Dean said firmly, you've never heard him during his nightmare. If it helps him sleep better it's worth the possible loss of a few points. Besides he'll earn them back in Quiditch."

Harry stared at Dean is surprise; he hadn't expected the teen to stand up for him. While they were friends they were nowhere near as close as him and the rest of the "golden trio". Now that he thought of it…Every time Dean had approached him Ron or Hermione had dragged him off for something.

In fact, think back they had pretty much interrupted whenever he was talking with anyone else. 3 weeks ago he would have thought nothing of it; after all they were his best friends and no doubt just wanted to spend time with him. But now, after learning that they were getting money from him he could help but view thing in a more suspicious light. And he had begun to notice things.

They never left him alone for more than a few seconds. And despite Hermione's obsession with reading she never dragged him to the library. Not to mention the minute he tired to go there Ron starts to complain. Before he had thought nothing of it, Ron wasn't the learning type after all, but it was starting to look more and more like they were paid to watch him and make sure he didn't learning anything beyond what Dumbledore wanted.

"Thanks Dean," Harry told the other boy, causing him to beam. It was nice having people depend him. Perhaps he should get to know the other teen better.

"After everything you've been through, you deserve a little time to relax and think," Dean murmured. Hermione looked down guiltily. Harry suppressed a smile. It was about time someone put her in her place. She was so convinced she knew more than them that it was annoying. There were something's you can't learn form a book.

"Looking forward to not having potions this year mate?" Ron asked as he wiped his plate clean.

"Actually, I have potions," Harry said calmly taking a sip of his tea, anticipating the redhead's reaction.

"Yeah, it will be great not seeing the greasy git," Ron started"…wait you what," he sputtered as what Harry had said got through.

"I have potions," he repeated calmly. Those close enough to him turned and stared, his hatred of Snape was well known after all.

"But you need an O to get into Professor Snape's N.E.W.T.S. class," Hermione started, what would no doubt be a lecture.

"I received on O on my O.W.L.S. in potions," Harry answered, cutting her off. Actually he had received an O in all his classes except Divination and History. Not something he planned on sharing. Hermione opened her mouth to make a comment.

Fortunately Professor McGonagall decided to appear behind them with their schedules. Harry looked over his carefully. He frowned as he took in the schedule. It wasn't what he had signed up for.

"Professor, these aren't the class I requested," Harry said, looking the stern teacher straight in the eye.

"The Headmaster decided that these would be better suited to you," she answered fidgeting, not something that one would expect from the normally cool and collected Head of Gryffindor.

"The headmaster doesn't have the right to choose my classes for me. I would like the schedule I signed up for," he said coolly handing back his schedule, after taking note that potions was his first class.

"The Headmaster..." she started. Harry raised an eyebrow. There was no way she wasn't aware of the rules.

"I will let him know," she said stiffly. Apparently they had been enough.

"Thank you Professor," he answered softly, his tone a great deal warmer. He watched her walk down the line for a few seconds before turning to look at the teachers table. Dumbledore was watching him with a thoughtful look on his face. Somehow he doubted that it meant well for him.

He needed to speak to Severus he decided, rising. It seemed the Headmaster was bound and determine to control him.

"Where you going mate?" Ron asked, not being at all subtle. Harry wondered once again why he hadn't noticed something was up.

"Class, last thing I need to do is give Snape an excuse to take points or put me in detention," Harry stated coolly, knowing they'd believe the excuse.

"Well, I don't have to deal with the greasy bat," Ron said cheerfully. Harry shrugged, eyes following Severus as the man got up and left.

Waving to his friends, he followed after the man. A few minutes later they were in front of the potions class room. Severus opened the door and gestured for Harry to follow. Silently the Slytherin cast several spells around the room.

"What was that incident about," the potion master asked softly, breaking the silence.

"The Headmaster decided he would decide what classes I should be in, and ignore my wishes," Harry explained, as he began to pace.

"No doubt he will be calling you to his office," Severus murmured pinching the bridge of his nose. "I hope you've been practicing your occulmens."

"Yes, after what happened with Sirus, I wasn't willing to risk it. I might not be a master, but I can keep Dumbledore out," Harry murmured. Severus sighed, looking a bit guilty.

"I owe you an apology, Dumbledore had told me you had already learned the basics of occulmens and I was supposed to check your shields," Severus said softly.

Harry looked at the older man and smiled softly the guilty look. Reaching out he took the older man's hand in his own.

"It's not your fault; Dumbledore lied and manipulated the situation in order to make sure I stayed under his control. What's important is the fact that once you learned what was going on you helped me." Harry told the older man. Onyx met Emerald for a few seconds before Severus nodded.

"Dumbledore isn't going to stop. He's determined to control my life," Harry whispered bitterly.

"You need to be emancipated," Severus said thoughtfully, "You would be considered an adult and Dumbledore would not have any legal right to control you."

"I doubt he'd be willing to let that happen," Harry spat, not willing to get his hopes up. He doubted Dumbledore would just sit back and let an emancipation to go through.

"Hm," Severus murmured, thinking, "There may be a way. One he can't stop."

Standing he strolled over to the dark mahogany desk in the front of the room. Back turned to Harry he began to rummage through a drawer on the left side. Before Harry had a chance to question the man's sudden actions he turned, small silver mirror in hand.

Harry felt a stab of grief, the mirror looked very similar to the one Sirus had given him. Though he doubted that his godfather would have appreciated the snake emblem on the back of the mirror too much.

"Lucius, I need to speak to you," Severus called softly. For a few seconds nothing happened, then the mirror began to glow lightly and a face appeared in the mirror.

"Severus," Harry heard, "Don't you have a class in a few minutes." Harry recognized the artistic drawl immediately.

"Yes Lucius I have a class. But I need to talk to you about something. Am I mistaken in believing that there is a law allowing for the emancipating of a minor at the age of 13 if the heir to a lordship and the current head has passed away?" Severus asked his friend. The Blonde's eyes widened in understanding,

"Yes, according to the Merlin's ministration clause 119 a minor may take up the title of Lordship at age 13 if the former Lord has passed away." Lucius agreed a vicious gleam is his eyes. Severus nodded smirking.

"May I assume that your question is in regards to Mr. Potter?" Lucius asked smoothly, at Severus nod he continued" in that case allow me to send the papers required."

"That would be appreciated. The sooner Harry is free of Dumbledore's control, the better," Severus murmured.

"They will be there before the end of your next class," Lucius declared before vanishing. Harry resisted the urge to jump for joy.

Looking a good deal like a cat that had gotten the canary; not that the teen blamed him. Severus replaced the mirror in the desk and turned to Harry.

"Dumbledore is going to be in for quite a surprise," Severus smirked. "I'll find a reason to hold you after class." Harry nodded before making his way toward his normal seat as students started to file in to the room.

It wasn't long before the potion's class with Slytherin got interesting. Of course Harry was aware of the fact that Severus couldn't just start treating him any differently however he wasn't completely sure what to expect. They had decided that Dumbledork would get suspicious if they were suddenly buddy-buddy, however the older man would no doubt pat himself on the back if the slowly started to get along, thinking that his scheming was working.

Severus stalked into the class robes swirling behind him. Instantly the room was silent. Harry had to suppress a smirk. He could tell that the older man was enjoying intimidating the class. Fortunately Ron wasn't in this class, he hadn't gotten in. There were only half dozen Gryffindor in the room and twice as many Slytherin, Malfoy included. Not really surprising considering.

"Silence!" the potion master hissed, despite the fact that the room had been absolutely quiet since the moment he entered.

"How some of you managed to make it into this class is inconceivable, clearly the testing standards have drop. Mine however have not. I will not tolerate any foolishness in this class." he shot a glare at the Gryffindors, "We will be working will highly explosive and extremely dangerous potions. Carelessness is something none of you can afford." the man murmured, voice barely above a whisper, despite the fact it filled the room, cold and menacing.

Harry stifled a chuckle; damn Severus had a flare for dramatics. He had never noticed it before, did the man rehearse this stuff. An image of Severus standing in front of a mirror, practicing his glare popped into Harry's mind.

"Turn your books to page 213." Severus commanded turning to the board. The sound of ruffling invaded the quiet as students hastily pulled out their books and turned to the appropriate place.

"Today we will be studying calming potions. You will be required to turn 3 ft on the different types of calming potions and their uses by tomorrow." Severus explained shooting the class a dark glare.

"The grease grit." a voice from behind Harry murmured, much to the teen's annoyance. It's not like the assignment was that difficult. A little long maybe, but it shouldn't take to long if you had been paying attention to the lecture.

"Ten points from Gryffindor." Severus said smoothly, not turning from his lecture on a mild calming potion. Harry looked down at his book, in order to hide his smile.

"Now can anyone tell me why it is dangerous to give a person a powerful calming potion when it is not required?" Severus asked, eyes flickering over the class before landing on the emerald-eyed teen. If Harry hadn't spent the summer with the professor he would have started panicking at about this point. As it was he understood that Severus was about to make the first in their plan.

"How about you Mr. Potter? Or were you to busy think about your adoring fans to be listening." the man purred dangerously. All eyes turn to the teen, awaiting his answer.

"A calming potion dulls strong emotions, sir," Harry answered calmly. "Though this is generally temporary, if too strong a potion is used it might kill the emotions completely and if is not treated they may remain that way."

"That is... correct. No doubt a first. I was starting to wonder if you even knew what the purpose for your brain actual was." Severus sneered, looking down at the teen. Despite the mocking words Harry could see a hint of pride in those steely black eyes. Whirling Snape turned back toward the blackboard, robes snapping behind him as he covered the distance in long strides.

"Two points to Gryffindor," he murmured looking quite pained by his words, as he turned to face the class once again. Harry didn't bother to hide his smile. This was going to an interesting year, to say the least.

It wasn't until half way through class that Severus fond an excuse to hold the teen after class, compliments of Draco Malfoy.

"Potter, are you that thick headed you can't tell the difference between light blue and Merlin knows what color this is," Severus snapped glaring at the murky potion in front of the teen.

"It's not Harry's fault. Malfoy threw something into the cauldron," Seamus complained from his seat next to him.

"30 points from Gryffindor. Don't blame more confident students for you inability to follow directions. No doubt _Mr. Potter_," the word was spat, "added too much mulberry root," Severus sneered, as he looked down on them.

"But…" Harry began to protest, acting his part of a self righteous Gryffindor. They didn't want anyone to suspect anything. And if he didn't act the part it would no doubt get back to Dumbledore.

"I've heard enough of your excuses Potter, stay after class to discuss your detention," the potion master sneered stalking off, robes billowing behind him. He looked just like the bat he was often called.

Harry fought to suppress a grin. He had seen the amusement in the in the other man's eyes as they had pooled the wool over the eyes of their watchers. It didn't help that Malfoy kept smirking at them. He wondered how the teen would react if he learned that his actions had helped the Gryffindor out.

Ignoring Seamus, who was grumbling about greasy gist and arrogant snobs, Harry concentrated on fixing his potion. Lost in thought as he mentally calculated how to how to rebalance the potion he almost didn't notice the owl that landed on Severus's desk. Fortunately Seamus nudged him muttering about how it was weird for Snape to get mail.

The almost black owl sitting on the desk looked vaguely familiar. If the look on Malfoy's face was anything to go by this was the same owl that brought the blonde hair teen mail on a regular bases.

Harry watched the professor gingerly take the letter from the owl and sat it on this desk. A quick glance at the clock revealed that class was almost over. Hiding his growing excitement he carefully he bottled up the potion and cleaned up the supplies while Seamus cleaned up the cauldron.

A few minutes later Severus collected the potions and dismissed the class. Harry remained in his seat, turning down his friends offered to stay.

When the last student finally left Severus drew his wand and cast a couple of spells in quick succession. Harry watched on as the man once again insured they wouldn't be interrupted or spied on.

Getting up, harry joined him at the front of the room as Severus opened the letter. Inside were several papers with the ministry of magic seal at the top of the page. Harry waited patiently as Severus scanned the document for any mistakes before handing it to Harry. Opening a drawer opposite of the one with mirror, Severus withdraws a gold and green pen, very similar to the blood pen Umbitch had used.

"This is a contract pen. It imbeds your magic in a contract making it binding. Once you place your name on the line the document will become valid," Severus explained as he pointed to a line, handing the teen the pen.

Trusting Severus, Harry signed his name along the line. The document glowed bright red and vanished, much to Harry's shock.

"It's now registered in the Ministry of Magic," Severus explained, noting the teen's expression. "Congratulations, your now legally an adult," he said smirking.

An adult, Harry grinned, it sound so great. No more Dursely, no more Dumbledore. He now had control in his life. And there was nothing anybody could do about it.

"May I suggest visiting Gringotts during your next hogstead weekend," Severus murmured. Harry nodded, in agreement. He couldn't wait to cancel the accounts Dumbledore had set up.

"Thank you professor," he said smiling. Severus inclined his head in acceptance, a small smile sprouting on his face. Harry couldn't help but notice how good the man looked with it. The smile made him look younger, as it erased worry lines. In fact he looked rather handsome.

"Now let me write you a note for your next class," Severus murmured ending Harry's contemplation. A few seconds later Harry walked out the door note in hand. Dumbledore was going to be in for a major surprise.


	23. The letter

I haven't forgotten this story and I will eventually finish it. Sorry about the long wait.

I don't own harry potter, if i did either snape or voldie would have jumped him in the story.

Story contains violence, rape and slash. Don't like it don't read it.

* * *

Chapter 23

Harry stood in front of the gargoyle statute guarding Dumbledore's office. He was looking forward to this confrontation now that he was legally an adult, but he was still wary of the man who had controlled his life would react, the man was a power wizard with a lot of legal pull. While Harry recognized that a great deal of the fear came from his years of abuse and forced obedience it didn't stop him from feeling nervous as he prepared to enter the headmaster's office.

As normal, Dumbledore had not given him the password, but he really didn't feel like listing types of candy until it opened. He couldn't help but feel that Dumbledore had purposely not given him the password.

"Bloody thing should just open," he muttered glaring at the unmoving stone. Much to his shock the statute sprang back to reveal the passage.

"That was new," he mumbled, in surprise, mind whirling in confusion. Somehow he doubted that he had accidently said the password, so why had the gargoyle moved. Shaking his head eh pushed the thoughts away to deal with later and started up the stairs to the headmaster's office.

"Ah, my boy, it's good to see you" Dumbledore greeted him as the teen entered the office, blue eyes twinkling.

"I am well headmaster, but I seem to have a problem with my scheduling," Harry answered politely, as he moved to stand in front of the huge desk covered in different trinkets, some muggle, some magical, as well as a several valuable books.

"Ah yes, I afraid I was the one who changed your schedule. I understand that after Sirius's death you want to push yourself to become better, but your still just a student, you should enjoy what time you have left." Dumbledore explained smiling happily, no doubt assured that now he had explained, Harry would immediately comply.

"With all due respect Headmaster, I do not believe that the work load will be too much for me, and it is my decision to make, not yours," Harry answered coolly, his face an expressionless mask that Severus would have been proud of.

"My boy," Dumbledore stared, looking rather surprised that Harry had defied him.

"Classes," Harry interrupted, "are the student's decision and I selected my classes it the proper fashion. I would appreciate it if you give me the _correct _schedule now, so I can go and attend my class instead of wasting my time." Harry finished calmly, frosty green eyes boring into the headmaster.

"Harry," Dumbledore said softly, eyes no longer twinkling, as he looked at harry with disappointment, "I must insist that you stop this nonsense immediately. I am only doing what is best for you, my boy." Harry just stared at him. Did the man really think he was that gullible, especially after last year?

"And while we are on the topic, I've arrangement for you to stay at Grimald next summer," he stated smugly, thinking Harry's silence had meant he had won.

"I repeat headmaster, you have no right to decide my schedule and, as for this summer, we shall see. Now will you give me **my** schedule or do I have to take this to the board of directors?" Harry asked venomously.

Blue met green for several minutes, before Dumbledore conceded and handed harry a schedule. The teen checked it over, not trusting that Dumbledore hadn't altered anything. After confirming it was right he nodded shortly and spun around to leave.

"This is not over yet," Dumbledore murmured, looking like nothing more than a disappointed grandfather. Harry ignored the man, not fooled by the act, and stalked out of the office to prepare for his next class.

It wasn't until dinner before Ron and Hermione managed to find him. He wasn't surprised when the first thing Hermione did was question him.

"Did you get your schedule straightened out? I'm sure the Headmaster was doing what was best. You really shouldn't have made such a big fuss _over it." _Hermione lectured.

"Yeah mate, you weren't seriously planning on taking Runes. It's way too hard." Ron added carelessly. Harry froze.

"One," Harry answered coldly, "Dumbledore has no right to change my schedule. It's in a History of Hogwarts," he sneered at Hermione, "that it is up to the student to chose their classes since they didn't want parents to limit a student's interest. And two exactly how do you know I planned on taking Runes Ron?" he asked pinning the redhead with a withering glare.

"I…well, you told me about it mate." Ron blustered, turning red under Harry's piercing stare.

"When exactly did I tell you about my plans Ron? After all I decided to do this over the summer and if you remember you weren't writing me." Harry said slowly.

"Dumbledore," Hermione started.

"Yes I know, Dumbledore told you not to write me by owl. But stopped you form calling me or writing me a muggle letter, especially you Hermione." Harry pointed out coldly. Hermione blushed looking guilty.

"And as for me telling you since we've been here, well you haven't really given me a chance between the questioning and lectures. So I repeat how exactly do you know I planned to take Runes?" Harry asked softly, eyes never leaving his two "friends".

"Dumbledore called us up to his office to ask if we knew why you would suddenly want to change your schedule" Hermione admitted, looking embarrassed. Ron, Harry noted only looked sulky, no doubt because they had gotten caught.

"So of course you guys discussed my personal information without my approval and then decided to ignore my decisions?" Harry asked voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Dumbledore is only doing what is best," Hermione said softly.

"You are starting to sound like a broken record," Harry told her, "You keep saying that Dumbledore is only doing what is best, but tell me, what's best for whom? Because it's certainly not me." He spat, standing. Grabbing his plate he went to sit with Dean and Neville.

HPHPHPHP

It was about an hour before curfew, and most of the students had retreated to their common rooms. Harry however was sitting on a large rock by the lakeside staring up at the glistening silver stars. A cool breeze danced around him causing the leaves of the nearby tree's causing them to rustle. The moon's light fell upon Hogwarts turning the lake a deep silver color and creating a luminous glow that gave the forest a serene magical appearance. All and all it was absolutely breathtaking, and it was exactly what the teen needed to unwind after his rather disturbing confrontation with his friends.

So it was with a great deal of reluctance he opened his eyes and turned to the source of the sounds of footsteps from the person behind him.

He had been expecting Ron or Hermione, or perhaps one of the teachers. He hadn't anticipated catching sight of blonde almost white hair and steel colored eyes which only could only belong to a Malfoy.

"Draco?" he said softly looking questioningly at the Malfoy heir who stood there in the moon light, look somewhat uncomfortable, though he was trying to hide it. Neither Crabbe, nor Goyle, where anywhere in sight, much to Harry's surprise, he hadn't seen the Slytherin ice prince without them before.

"My father requested I give this to you," Draco murmured looking at him piercingly, like he couldn't figure the Gryffindor out. He held out a white envelope bearing the Malfoy seal. Taking it Harry murmured his thanks and opened the envelope.

"_Lord Potter,_

_It has come to my attention that due to your unfortunately upbringing and the neglect of your magical guardian, you have not been properly prepared to handle the responsibilities of your lordship. It would be my pleasure to assist you in fixing this regretful situation. It would not due for a lord such as yourself to not understand the duties, and political power that comes which such a title. If my offer of assistance is one you are willing to accept please pass on your letter to my son Draco. He will be more than willing to have any response sent to me in order to prevent the suspicions of certain parties we both would prefer to be left in the dark._

_Sincerely,_

_Lord Lucius Malfoy, of the Honorable House of Malfoy"_

Harry blinked in surprise; he hadn't been expecting an offer of help when he had opened the letter. Not that Lucius hadn't already helped him quite a bit, but that had been on the request of Severus or Tom. This was something completely different.

"Why is my father writing to you? You're nothing more than Dumbledore's little pawn." Draco spat at him. It was clear that it was only out of respect for his father the blonde was here at all. It was quite obvious he hadn't been informed of Harry's switch in sides.

"Come with me," Harry responded softly, gesturing for the teen to follow him. He didn't want to risk the chance that someone nearby would over hear them. The Slytherin stared at him for a few seconds, carefully weighting his options, before curiosity overcame caution and he nodded.

Harry made his way through the castle and down to the dungeons, taking the lesser used paths to avoid other students. It wouldn't due for someone to see them. He could tell that the blonde was getting more and more confused as they made their way to Severus's room.

Draco became even more confused when they stopped in front of the portrait that lead to Severus's quarters. It was clear that the teen recognized where he was. Which was no doubt confusing the bloody hell out of him, since Severus's hatred for the Gryffindor was well known.

"Ah young speaker, it is good to see you again," Salazar greeted warmly in parseltongue, reminding Harry of the questions he had yet to ask the founder. Making a mental note to stop by later and chat, when he was in less of a bind he greeted the founder.

"It's good to see you again as well. May we enter?" Harry hissed back politely. Salazar nodded and the portrait swung open revealing Severus's living room.

"My godfather isn't going to be happy to see you in his quarters," Draco spat. It lacked its normal spite and Harry couldn't help but feel that the teen had only made the comment because he was off balance and trying to return things back to a more familiar ground. Harry just smiled, looking forward to the following confrontation between the teen and his dark protector.

"Severus," he called, voice echoing though the rooms. The older man should be here, he always came back to his rooms after dinner to relax and it was too earlier for him to be out on patrols.

"Yes?" a muffled voiced called from the potion's lab. Harry smiled; he should have known. Severus loved his potions with a passion.

"Could you come out here for a few minutes?" Harry called again, taking a seat on the coach, "I have a bit of a situation." Draco stared at shocked by the friendly tone.

"Give me a few minutes, I'm in the middle of brewing a potion and it will melt over if I leave it at this stage," Severus responded. Despite the fact that his voice was muffled by the door, Harry could hear the exasperation in his voice.

There was about six or seven minutes of awkward silence as the two teens waited for the Potion Master. Draco spent most of the time sitting in one of the chairs staring at Harry like he was a complicated puzzle he couldn't quite figure out, ever now and then making comments about how Severus was going to kill the Gryffindor when he discovered exactly who was in his quarters. Harry just ignored him, waiting.

"What sort of trouble have you managed to get yourself into this time," Severus asked as he stepped out of the lab, sounding rather amused. Then the older man caught sight of Draco and his eyes widen slightly. Sighing he pinched the bridge of his nose and took a seat neat to Harry on the couch.

"And what exactly has accrued that would cause me to find the two of you in my quarters?" Severus asked glaring accusingly at Harry; the look lacked the venom it had use to. A fact Draco didn't miss.

"Hey, it isn't my fault," Harry protested. "Lucius asked him," he gestured at Draco, "to deliver a letter to me," he explained handing the Professor the letter while pouting.

"You should take him up on his offer," Severus comment as he scanned the letter, "Lucius knows his politics."

"I intended to, once Dumbles realizes I've been emancipated he's going to try to do anything in his power to get me back under his control. I'll need all the help I can get to prevent that." Harry murmured. "Though, I hadn't expected Lucius to offer his help," he admitted to the older man.

"Would somebody explain to me what the bloody hell is going on. Since when do you like _**Potter**_?" Draco cut in glancing between the two men, who were sitting comfortably side by side. Severus looked at Harry questioningly; it wasn't his story after all.

"Long story short, my relatives abused me, Severus saved my life and pieced me back together," Harry explained, flatly, taking pity on the blonde.

"Oh, and I joined the Dark Lord," he continued more cheerfully trying not to laugh at the stunned expression on the blonde's face. Severus sighed in exasperation.

"Abused?" Draco asked scornfully, after a few minutes of silence, "what did they do? Forget to give you dessert? Stop you from reading your fan mail?" the teen spat, "And of course the Dark Lord humored you in order to get you on his side. Frankly you're not worth it. You're a worthless attention seeking weakling who's nothing more than Dumbledore's pawn." Draco sneered glaring at the emerald-eyed teen that had drastically paled. Harry's eyes glazed over and he slid to the floor caught in memory.

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Sorry again about the wait. For you Draco fans, sorry about this, don't worry though they'll end up friends. Draco's just a bit spoiled and doesn't handle things well here. He doesn't really believe Harry Potter isn't a pampered prince since it's what he's believed the whole time. He'll get over it, i promise.

Please review, you guys are my reason for finishing my story


	24. Without you

Here this version is a little bit clearer. And for the person who asked, it was spelled checked, sadly I was using work and it doesn't check grammar. Please forgive me I wrote most of this at 1 am. Looking into a beta I promise.

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Draco stared down at the teen cringing on the floor, trembling in tears as his Godfather Severus tried to wrap his arms around the struggling team. It was horrifying to watch the teen's terror. There was no way this was some elaborate act, nobody could act that well. Guilt started to roar its head as he realized that everything he had just heard had been true.

Sickened by how he had treated the teen he stared down at his feet. Not to mention all the other times he had ridiculed the Gryffindor, ridiculing him and his parents just because he was jealous of the boy-who-lived. Silently he watched as Severus gently rocked the green-eyed teen whisper quiet words until the boy relaxed wrapped in the other mans arms.

"I'm sorry," he murmured at last looking at the teen that looked far younger than his age, leaning against the Potion Master, "I was a fool".

Harry shook trapped in memories. He could hear his uncle voice calling him "useless, freak, whore". The words whirled through his mind. Flashes of beatings ran through his head, he could feel his Uncle holding him down. Arms wrapped around him stopping him from moving. Terrified, he struggled against the arms.

Despite his desperate attempts he couldn't break free. Finally after several minutes he stopped too tired to continue. Much to his surprise the grip loosened and a hand began to run its fingers gently through his hair. A voice broke through the haze of memories. Blinking Harry recognized the voice whispering in his ear as Severus and relaxed, tired and warn, into the strong the arms of the Potion Master.

"Harry, Harry, its ok. You're safe. I won't let anyone harm you." Severus whispered in his ear as he held the teen, trying to keep him from harming himself. Harry nodded, snuggling farther into the man's warmth. The man made him feel save and he felt vulnerable. They sat there in silence for a few seconds enjoying each other's company.

"I'm sorry," a voice murmured breaking the moment. Both men turned to look. Draco stood there, head down, his eyes filled with guilt, as he watched the two of them. "I was a fool." he continued, silver eyes glittering with guilt.

"It's not your fault you didn't know. Nobody did. I didn't want them to know," Harry said softly looking up at the other teen a bit warily. Having his long time rival staring down at him with guilt was not something he was expecting. It's not like the other teen meant to set him off. He had no way of knowing that his words would act as a trigger to a flashback.

"I might not have known about that, but that does not excuse my behavior. Instead of gathering all the facts I jumped to conclusions and behaved like a rash Gryffindor." Draco stated clearly shooting the teen a slight smirk at the Gryffindor part.

"Ha Ha," Harry laughed, smirking as well," perhaps I wasn't the only one who was sorted into the wrong house." Severus snickered, as he continued to absently stroke Harry's hair, trying not to laugh at the confused look on Draco's face.

"What is that suppose to mean?" Draco asked annoyed as he looked at the two as the exchanged a glance. Harry grinned.

"Well you see, the sorting hat wanted to place me in Slytherin. I talked it out of placing me there." Harry explained snickering. "In fact in a way it was your fault I that I end up in Gryffindor."

"What?" Draco asked surprised, "How am I responsible." Harry shook his head before frowning.

"Yours and Dumbledore's fault actually. Dumbledore set it up so that I would meet the Weasleys. They were the first people to ever be nice to me. After you insulted them I wanted nothing to do with you and begged the hat to place me in anything but Slytherin, no doubt exactly what Dumbledore intended." Harry explained shaking his head.

Draco shook his head, "I really caused you to beg the sorting hat to not put you his Slytherin?" he asked in shock. Harry nodded, causing the teen to groan.

"If it makes you feel better it's something I regret to this day." Harry commented, looking thoughtful. Causing Draco's eyes widened in surprise. Even Severus looked at the young man startled.

"Think about it. How many times have the Gryffindors turned on me? Any time anyone hinted I was going dark or implied I was just an attention seeking brat they immediately jumped on the bandwagon. You never see Slytherin's turn on each other." Harry spat. Severus gently patted Harry's shoulder, trying to comfort the teen that was quickly starting to mean so much.

"If they are too stupid to see your worth then it is they're loss," the potion master said firmly. Harry smiled up at the older man. Draco stared at the older man in surprise. His godfather was never this protective of others.

"Thank you," Harry whispered quietly, "it means a lot to me that you feel that way." Severus smiled in return and gently brushed a strand of hair out of the teens face.

"Ah, I think I should return to the common room, the others will be wondering where I am," Draco muttered and left quickly. Harry blinked at the closed door in surprise, not sure what had caused the silver-eyed teen to make such a sudden exit. Mental shrugging he turned back to the older man, smiling as Severus pulled the teen to his chest.

"Careful, you'll spoil me with all this affection, you might not ever get rid of me" the teen chided. Severus frowned down at him.

"I have no intention of getting rid of you." the Slytherin hissed annoyed. Harry shrugged looking down. Severus grabbed his chin and forced the teen to look at him.

"Everyone else does, eventually anyway. Surely you don't want a teen underfoot, especially one so messed up as me." Harry whispered shuddering slightly as forced down tears. It was his greatest fear, rejection, and the idea that it would be Severus made the pain far worse. He'd rather have his heart ripped out then be turned away by the Slytherin who meant so much. But the potion master had a life of his own and no doubt didn't want a troublesome teenager around.

"If I didn't want you here you wouldn't be here." Severus stated firmly, trying to lease his temper. It wouldn't due to have Harry think he was angry at the teen, instead of the people who had hurt him. Harry looked up at him hopeful eyes gleaming with unshed tears.

"Why? Nobody else cares. Why would anyone care about a damaged freak like me?" the younger man asked voice quivering with pain.

"You're not a damaged freak. You are a beautiful young man, smart and loving, even if you're brave to the point of foolishness. Anyone would be lucky to have you in their life." Severus declared forcefully.

"But after... After what he did to me, there is no way anybody could love me. He…" Harry choked, weeping as he clung to the Slytherin. Severus closed his eyes, unable to bare the pain in the teen's eyes he leaned down and did something he had sworn not to do when he had first realized that he was falling for the beautiful young.

Suddenly, tears blurring his vision, Harry felt something lightly brush against his lips. Startled he realized that Severus was kissing him. For a few seconds he sat there frozen before hesitantly reaching up to place his hand on the older man's shoulder. After a few seconds the Slytherin ended the chaste kiss and sat back.

"You're wrong," Severus told the teen softly, wiping away a tear as it slid down the younger man's cheek. "Loving you is possible. I seem to have found myself in that very position."

Hesitantly Harry leaned forward and brushed his lips against the older man's. Much to his joy Severus returned it gently. At last breathless Harry pulled away.

"I'm glad." Harry murmured, "For I'm not sure I would have survived the heartache of losing you."

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Thanks for all the reviews.


	25. Answers and more questions

Um surprise. Long time no see. I've only got a few more chapters left of this. I did promise it will be finished and it will. Eventually...

Life keeps kicking me in the ass.

Oh yeah in case you forgot since it has been awhile.

I don't own it. This contains content mature content. So for all of you out there under 18, don't get caught. I got grounded for weeks. There is gay romance in this. Probably won't do anything to detailed cause then fanfiction might throw a fit, actually I'm not sure how I got away with the first chapter, not sure where the hell the first chapter came from actually, it was kinda random. But there will be slash and abuse and torture. If you don't like it don't read it. I would recommend Harry/Ginny filters. they tend (not always, pretty sure there is a wrong boy who lived that gets graphic with abuse and a couple of ginny/harems out their) to be much cleaner. Or a family filter, some really good father/son or mentor relationship fics out their for Sev and Harry. This is not one of them.

Really haven't got any flames about it though. I think the first chapter scares them away. Go figure.

Now on to what you all really want the next chapter.

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Concentration seemed to be a thing of the past. After Severus had kissed him and they had proceeded to make-out, curled together on the floor, it had been all Harry could think about. It was a good thing he was so far ahead in his classes, because he doubted he had heard a single thing that had been said. Hermione had already called him on it several times today. He had blamed it on nightmares and pleaded lack of sleep but he knew that she would only allow it to slide for so long before she started lecturing him or worse got suspicious and went to Dumbledork, and that he really needed to snap out of it before that happened.

Of course knowing that didn't seemed to help any. He couldn't stop thinking about how gentle and warm Severus's lips had been against his. How his fingers had caressed his check before sliding into his hair and pulling him closer, tongue invading the teen's mouth. Not exactly anything related to Transfigurations, the class he was currently in.

"Harry," Hermione hissed, tapping his shoulder, "pay attention." Startled Harry snapped out of his thoughts and noticed the class was looking at him. Embarrassed he blushed.

"Ah Mr. Potter so good of you to rejoin us. Tell me now what is the difference between Jovas's Theory on Transfiguring humans and Tobias's later discoveries." Professor McGonagall asked annoyed, standing in front of him, scowling. Harry suppressed an urge to wince. The woman was Dumbledore's right hand, not to mention a bit scary when mad.

"Jovas believed that Human Transfiguring completely altered the one transformed. Tobias later discovered that a only the physical structure was altered., thoughts and actions remained completely human, and not governed by animal instinct." Harry answered calmly ignoring the surprised looking in the Professor's eyes, and the disappointed one in Hermione's as she put her hand down.

"That is correct," she answered grudgingly before returning to the front of the class. Hermione glared at him. Harry shrugged not sure if she was mad because he had gotten it right despite daydreaming or mad that he had gotten away with it without even a lecture. It was hard to tell with her.

Mentally swearing pay more attention he turn his is focus back to the lecture. It was going to be a long day.

Harry paced back and forth on the carpet of Severus's living room, pausing once and a while to look at the roaring fire. Severus had asked him to come to his office. Apparently the heritage potion was finished. Harry wasn't sure how he felt about that. Apart of him was uncertain about how he felt about seeing the results. Knowing his luck he was almost afraid to see what the results would be, but he wanted an explanation. The door for the potion lab opened, interrupting his thoughts.

"Its finished," Severus murmured softly, stepping closer. Harry looked up at him and smiled. Stepping closer he wrapped his arms around the other man, careful to avoid the delicate blue vial in the other's hand. Chuckling Severus leaned down gently brushed his lips against the younger man's, before stepping back. Harry looked at him questionably.

"As much as I enjoy kissing you, we do have a potion to deal with that is unfortunately only good for the next hour, and we both know that if we start something it will take a great longer then that." Severus murmured smiling. Harry sighed and stepped back.

"Well lets get on with it." Harry said finally, pouting slightly, as he sat down on the chair and looked up at the older man. Severus pulled a knife, with a elegantly carved hilt, out of his sleeve. Harry raised an eyebrow.

"It requires a drop of blood and unfortunately magic could taint the process. The knife is sterile." Severus explained. Harry nodded and held out his hand. Severus gently took the Gryfindor's hand and caressed his wrist before lightly pricking his finger. Harry watched in fascination as several drops of ruby blood mixed with the potion causing it to start steaming and turn silver. Severus replaced his knife and pulled out his wand, silently casting a healing charm.

Harry watched him as he then stalked over to the table and gently poured the potion on the scroll. Much to Harry's surprise the potion came out more like silver mist then the liquid it had appeared. Standing up he walked over to the table. Words staring appearing on the parchment. It stared with Harry's name and crept upward, to his father and mother and onward. Reading through them Harry gasped. Right above his mother's name was the last name he ever expected to see; Tom Marvolo Riddle. Harry turned to look at his lover only to see that the other man wasn't fairing much better.

"So does this mean I can call him Gramps?" Harry asked, trying not to sound hysterical and no doubt failing, badly.

"Why is the Dark Lord unaware of this?" Severus wondered out loud. Sighing he pinched the bridge of his nose. Stalking over to a chair he sat down. Somewhat worried Harry followed him. Much to his surprise long arms reach up around him causing him to tense up and pulled him down until he was sitting in the potion master's lap. A few seconds he relaxed into his lover as the older man gently ran his figures through the teen's hair.

"You should grow your hair out," Severus commented softly. Harry turned to look at him blinking.

"That was rather abrupt," he commented, confused by the sudden turn in the conversation. Severus sighed again.

"I'm trying very hard to not think about the fact that this means the Dark Lord is your grandfather and what he is liable to do to me for daring to touch you." Severus explained, looking rather pained, not surprising, the Dark Lord was rather skilled in the art of torture.

"Oh I don't think that will be a problem," Harry said grinning up at him, looking all to like a cat who had caught a canary. Severus raised an eyebrow.

"Draco and I have been talking a lot lately. Mostly trying to get to know each other and it seems he over heard his father and the Tom trying to set us up. Kind of Hilarious if you think about it. Lucius Malfoy and Voldemort playing matchmaker. Suffice to say I don't think you have to worry about him being angry about our relationship." Harry explained to his lover. Severus just started at him blankly for a few minutes before his lips curved into a smile and he started to laugh. Harry joined him after mentally deciding to make sure the man laughed more often.

"Lucius and the Dark Lord, I confess that is rather hard to picture." The Slytherin admitted after he had calmed himself. "That is one less fear, however I will still have to tell him of this development" Severus said gesturing toward the scroll.

"How is it possible that my mom was his daughter and he doesn't know about it," Harry wondered out loud, shaking his head slightly. Severus leaned down and brushed his lips against the top of the younger man's head.

"That is one question that I can't answer. It seems unfathomable that my Lord was unaware of his daughter. However I assure you we will get to the bottom of this rather unexpected set of events." Severus promised softly. Harry nodded, nothing made sense but he trusted Severus figure things out.

"Now however it is probably best we informed the Dark Lord of our recent discover." Severus said. Harry gulped. Telling the Dark Lord that he was a grandfather was probably going to be interesting, and possibly painful. He wasn't sure he could handle rejection from his only living relative.

Seeing the nervous look on the teens face Severus gripped the teen's face and tilted it up. Gently he brushed his lips against the younger man's forehead before claim the teen's mouth in a chaste kiss. After a few seconds he pulled back before leaning forward until his lips brushed Harry's ear.

"Do not forget, I will be there with you." Severus whispered. Harry shivered at the feel of hot breath against his skin and the promise he could hear in the words. Nodding he stood feeling more confident the before, now assured that Severus would be there with him no matter how things turned out.

"Lets go pay Grandpa Voldemort a visit," He murmured standing, pulling his black-eyed lover behind him.

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Review. it makes me feel guilty for not updating.


	26. Blood and lovers

Books » Harry Potter » **The Truth isn't What You Think**

Author: ChaoticNightofFlames

Rated: M - English - Romance/Angst - Reviews: 1544 - Published: 09-23-07 - Updated: 11-07-12

id:3800420

I don't own it. Even if you didn't read the disclaimers I think at this point you know that this is slash (man on man), rape, abuse and so on. Though recently its gotten kinda fluffy. Probably do a lemon in the next chapter. Probably only 3 or 4 chapters after this and then a wrap up.

Love you all for sticking with me after all this time.

Yes i know the whole story needs a major editing. Probably won' t do that until its finished cause I'm lazy and don't have any of the files any more so i will have to take them off the site.

The Dark Lord frowned down at the reports before him. It was amazing how much paper work went into planning a takeover. Sighing to himself he went to start on the next report when the fire place hissed signaling someone was flooing in. Cautious despite the fact that only those keyed to the wards could enter, the dark lord reached for his wand. Taking in the sight of his Potion's master and Potter in tow he relaxed and gestured for them to enter the room.

Severus approached him and bowed, however much to the dark lord's surprise Potter, no Harry now, hung back looking nervous, even more nervous than he had on during their first meeting. Filing that thought away Voldemort turned his attention back to Severus.

"My Lord, I apologize for disturbing you however we have just recently discovered some information that I believe that you would want brought to your attention immediately." Severus murmured respectively. Voldemort raised an eyebrow, before noting the scroll, in Severus's hand before recalling that the potion master had intended to solve the mystery of Potter's heritage with the lineage potion. The scroll was certainly glowing the right color and it would explain the unexpected visit. He gestured for the potion master to continue.

"After the confusion about Harry's Slytherin heritage, I went ahead and completed the lineage potion. We received the results today and they where rather unexpected." Severus explained, handing his lord the scroll. Opening it he followed the tree up until he reached his names. Eyes widening with shock he looked up at the two standing before him.

"Well does this mean I can call you Gramps?" Harry asked, sounding far more nervous than he had intended.

"How is this possible?" Voldemort murmured in confusion, "Marianna was killed during a raid while she was 7 months pregnant, there should have been no way the child should have survived."

"The potion does not lie, My Lord" Severus answered softly. Voldemort nodded. There was no way to fool the potion, magic and blood did not lie and the potion only spelled out the results.

"Then lily Evans was my daughter making Harry Potter my grandson," Voldemort said sighing turning his attention to the young man, "this actually explains a lot. The Salazar Slytherin placed protections in his blood through rituals in order to prevent the end of his line, no doubt the reason why killing you has been proven to be so difficult. And of course with my "death" on Halloween the lordship passed to you my heir."

"So my so called luck was really Salazar's protection?" Harry asked curiously causing Severus to snort.

"Partly, so was no doubt to the fact that you proved to be more intelligent and powerful then I had believed, causing me to repeatable underestimate you." Voldemort answered. Harry looked at him in surprise.

"Do not doubt that you are powerful. Dumbledore would not be so concerned with controlling you if you were not. And I think the fact that you managed to fool Severus and myself not to mention the old fool for so long is more than proof that you are more cunning and intelligent then any of us gave you credit for. I myself was unable to see past your façade and believed you to be nothing more than a blind puppet, a rather impressive feat as my followers would tell you, I am not easily fooled. "Tom explained to the shocked teen.

"I never really looked at it that way. I was more focused on surviving than anything else. I gave people what they expected because it meant less issues and pain for me." Harry explained shrugging. Severus stepped forward and wrapped his arms around the teen pulling him close offering the teen comfort.

"All those who hurt you will pay dearly," the dark haired man hissed in the teen's ear before pressing his lips lightly against the head. Harry sighed and leaned back against the Slytherin.

"Is there something you two need to tell me," The Dark Lord asked softly his face void of emotion, causing both men to freeze in fear, before looking up at the Dark Lord.

"My lord…" Severus began before stopping unsure how to explain to the Dark lord that he was in love with the man's newly found grandson.

"We are together," Harry said bluntly shifting is body so that he was between his beloved and the dark lord, "Severus has been there when I needed him and knows me better than any other. He's seen my dark side and my scars and despite that he still stays by my side. I don't care if you're the dark lord or my Grandfather I won't you split us up" he declared defiantly staring up into red eyes.

It wasn't Voldemort who responded however but Severus. The dark haired Slytherin pulled the teen close and bent his head down to seal their lips together. Pulling back he faced the Dark Lord hands wrapped firmly around the teen.

"My Lord with the utmost respect, the only way you can force me to end this is by killing me," the Potion Master said coolly refusing to lower his gaze as he stared at the man who could no doubt do just that in seconds, preparing himself for the oncoming curses.

However it was laughter and not pain that followed the man's declaration. Surprised and wary the two watched Voldemort chuckle.

"It is not my intention to force you two apart however Lucius might be rather put out. He had concocted some rather devious schemes to get the two of you together." The red-eyed man admitted much to Severus's surprise. Harry however nodded slightly.

"I thought so, you two seemed like you were purposely pushing us together, but I wasn't sure if you would still approve after learning I was your grandson," Harry admitted softly. Severus looked at the teen thoughtfully.

"Ah but now that I am aware of our relation I have more reason to see you happy then before," Dark Lord pointed out.

"Then we have your permission to continue, My Lord?" Severus asked respectively starting to relax. The Dark Lord nodded. Severus bowed feeling relieved. Harry however only looked devious.

"Now that we have sorted that out I want the answer to my first question," Harry said snicker. Both Slytherins looked at him baffled.

"I want to know if this means I can call him Gramps." Harry asked in his best innocent voice as he looked up at the dark lord pleadingly. The two Slytherins just groaned.

Review it makes me feel guilty. It got you this chapter like a month faster then the last 5.


	27. How to swat a Bumblebee

OMG LOOK… There is another Chapter. It's been how long? *Sighs* Please don't kill me. I really will finish this. On the bright side this chapter is a bit longer then the last couple. I felt that it was the least I could do.

All mistakes are mine. I don't have a beta and consider how much work this whole thing needs well… Once it's down I'll go back through it and fix mistakes. I promise to recruit someone too. My grammar sucks. I have no excuse either. English is my only language.

This is rated M for mature or more slash please (which I'm sad to say is not in this chapter). If you've managed to get this far, heck if you managed to get past the first chapter you know this has m/m and violence and snape/harry fluffiness. If you flame me over these things I'm going to laugh at you.

Oh and rape is not romantic. Rape is **bad**. However it is something that happens. I am not trying to make it sound good. This is about coping with it. Seeing one of my friends tried to kill herself over it I felt it was a topic I wanted to write about. Either Deal with it or don't read it. Sorry was going back through this with that friend and found a review saying I was making romanticizing rape or some such rot. And felt the need to rant. Considering my friend is one of my biggest fans and gave me the idea to do this I was kind of pissed. I'm pretty sure I saw it earlier but she got mad when she saw it and it set me off. Sorry.

Love you all.

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**Chapter 27 **

Harry, Severus and Voldemort sat in the study looking over the Dark Lord reports. For the last ten minutes or so Severus and Voldemort had been formulating plans and discussing how having an heir would alter them. The debate had started right after Tom declared that as his Grandson Harry was his heir. Apparently there was a great of politics involved, the least of which was what would occur if the light side found.

The problem was the light side has too much power, mostly because of Dumbledore's political clot from defeating the last Dark Lord and the image he had cultivated as a grandfatherly saint. For too long he had acted as the wise headmaster and since most of the population had attended Hogwarts many had fallen for the ruse. As long as the man remained in power they had to move carefully.

"We need to find a way to remove Dumbledore from power," Voldemort murmured frustrated, rubbing his temple, "but we have to find a way to destroy his image first. However it will be difficult, he has cultivated his followers from a young age." Severus nodded frowning, Harry however was beginning to smile slightly.

"How about the truth?" Harry asked them thoughtfully. Both men looked at him surprised and somewhat confused. The teen grinned.

"I mean it doesn't really fit his Grandfather image that he left me, _the boy-who-lived_, to be abused and stole from my vaults. That should make quite a few people furious. Not to mention he covered up all the incidents at the school. I bet a lot of parents wouldn't be pleased to learn about the stone or the Dementor attack. We could leak it to the paper and I could press charges. I bet that most people would be less willing to follow him if they learned what they did." Harry explained to the other two men, a plan already forming in his mind. He had no doubt that the Goblins would help him, there was nothing they hated more than a thief.

"Harry," Severus murmured, "are you sure? You would have to testify and there is no doubt that it would become public knowledge." The man asked, knowing the teen wouldn't deal well with the abuse becoming public.

"Yes, as long as that man is in power nothing will change. I don't want anyone else to suffer like I have just so he can use them in his twisted power games and I want to make sure that he can't ever use me again," the teen said adamantly. Severus nodded in understanding. While his childhood had been nowhere near as bad Dumbledore had allowed the Marauders to do things to him that would have had them expelled in the least, and the last stunt of Blacks' where the wolf had almost killed him, would have landed the man in Azkaban. Though he now blamed Dumbledore far more for the accident. The marauders had just been children who had been taught that Slytherin meant evil. Of course that didn't mean that he was going to stop hating them anytime in the near future.

"But how do we get the newspaper to publish it?" Harry asked softly shaking Severus out of his thoughts. Both Slytherins smirked.

"Rita," Severus purred looking down right evil, "Lucius has some rather… interesting black mail on the witch. Besides the woman loves causing scandals and this is certain to be a big one." Harry snorted, the woman had certain caused a lot of scandals in his life. Maybe it was time Dumbledore meet the viciousness of the woman's pen, after all he hadn't tried very hard to protect Harry from the public fall out.

"Perfect, it's about time Dumbledore discovers what it's like to have the public's scorn." Harry spat, "After all he had no problem allowing me to suffer the public's scorn. Its time he learns what it feels like for everyone to turn on you." The teen smiled bitterly.

"Now that we have settled this discussion perhaps we should get started. Severus, fire call Lucius." Tom commanded. The potion master nodded and stepped over to the fireplace on the other side of the room.

"Harry," Tom murmured softly once Severus was out of ear shoot, "how much or how little you tell Rita is completely up to you." Harry smiled slightly at the dark lord, his grandfather.

"Thank you. You know having a relative that actually cares will take getting used to." Harry commented thoughtfully.

"Children tend to less frequent among wizard kind. Perhaps that is way blood and family is so important to most of the wizarding world. Both myself and Severus will support you and from what I've heard so too will Lucius. "Tom explained softly. Harry nodded.

"So what exactly have I missed," Lucius drawled from behind the teen startling Harry enough to jump. The blond smirked pleased with himself. Feeling a bit vengeful Harry smiled.

"Well I, Severus and gramps here," he said gesturing at the dark lord, "have been discussing how to take Dumbles down and apparently your friends with a rather noisy little beetle who's good at slashing reputations."

"Gramps?" Lucius asked confused glancing up at the dark lord. The red eyed man just smiled rather evilly and handed the man the scroll that Severus had given him earlier.

"Merlin's beard, Lilly was your daughter?" Lucius gasped looking over the scroll, his already pale complexion becoming ash white.

"Yup, which makes the Dark Lord my grandfather. Seems my mother was adopted. Go figure. Not that anyone knew, not even Gramps' himself." Harry chirped, grinning.

"As amusing as this is, perhaps we should return to discussing how we are going to destroy the headmaster's reputation," Severus drawled. The other 3 nodded and where soon discussing different strategies.

"Harry wait up," Hermione called from behind him echoing eerily down the empty hall. Harry sighed but stopped, knowing he couldn't pretend to have not heard her considering how loud her voice was. He had been trying to avoid both her and Ron which was why he was in this part of the school to begin with. However it seemed his luck had finely run up.

"Harry, you have some explaining to do. You've been avoiding us. If this is about not writing, I've already explained the headmaster told us not to for your own safety," Hermione complained, stamping, her hands on her waist. Harry turned around and glared at the bookworm.

"My safety? And how exactly was not writing supposed to keep me safe?" he asked his voice like ice. Hermione stepped slightly in surprise at the venom in his voice but quickly recovered.

"Dumbledore said that our messages might have been intercepted. It was for your own good." She snapped. Harry shook his, wondering how someone so smart could be so stupid.

"Ignoring the fact that Dumbledore history of keeping me safe is not very good, why could you not mail letters to me? You know the muggle the way. I highly doubt one of the dark lord's minions could find a way to intercept mail even if they thought of it." Harry asked skeptically, it's not like most wizards knew anything about muggle society and it would be difficult to intercept his mail even if they knew enough to try, especially since none of Voldemort's deatheaters with the exception of Lucius and Severus knew where he lived.

"What do you mean he hasn't kept you safe? Dumbledore has been protecting you." Hermione said, indignantly, completely ignoring his question about the mail. Harry snorted at the Dumbledore's "protection". The man couldn't have done a worse job if it if he had cast the killing curse at him himself.

"Considering Dumbledore's protect almost got me killed this summer I would have to disagree," He murmured shaking his head.

"Killed? Don't be so dramatic. "Hermione replied, rolling her eyes. Harry resisted the urge to smack her. Instead he pulled his shirt up revealing the remains the scars that had not quite healed yet despite Severus's potions and Poppy's magic.

"Dramatic? Since when have I ever been dramatic? My Uncle, who I've repeatedly asked Dumbledore not to send me back to because he was abusing me, almost killed me this summer. If Snape hadn't showed up when he did and got me to a healer I would have died. _Died_, Hermione. As it is, I barely made it. Madam Pomfrey spent hours healing me, or so I was told. I was unconscious through most of it. So you'll have to forgive me if I don't trust the man responsible for sending me back there repeatedly and almost getting me killed." Harry sneered at the brunette staring at him in shock, before he released his shirt and turned to leave, too disgusted by her righteous attitude and utter blindness.

"You…almost…d-died?" a soft voice asked causing him to turn back around. Hermione was standing there eyes down cast, her shoulders shook. Confused at the sudden change, Harry nodded.

"I'm sorry. I… Dumbledore said that they ignored and treated you badly but he had cast spells to insure that they didn't hurt you. I…I..I don't know what to say." She whispered eyes watering.

"There were no spells, nothing stopping them from hurting me. My Uncle has been me black and blue on more than one occasion. This summer he just didn't stop. If Snape hadn't shown up when he did I would have bleed to death." Harry answered softly.

"God, Harry I'm so sorry. I never thought Dumbledore was lying. He said that you were safer with them because the Voldemort couldn't reach you.

"Which is a bull crap in itself, he used my blood, _my blood_, to come back. The blood wards wouldn't have stopped him. Assuming of course they existed in the first place. Which is rather unlikely since my mother was adopted. My supposed aunt isn't related to me at all." Harry spat. Hermione's eyes widened.

"That's not possible," she whispered tears falling freely down her face, "Than he left you there to suffer for no reason?" Harry smiled bitterly.

"He wanted a moldable savior who was desperate to please anyone who showed him a scrap of kindness, someone who knew nothing of the wizard world and would rely on him for everything." Harry explained feeling exhausted.

"Oh Harry, I'm so sorry. I've been so blind. I…I trusted him completely and all this time you've been suffering. Some friend I turned out to be. I..I" she trailed off sobbing. Harry stepped closer and gently wrapped his arms around her.

"Far more experienced wizards have been fooled by Dumbledore, Herm.." He told her softly, running her back. The two of them stood there, the sound of Hermione's sobs the only sound in the silence.

"Will you ever forgive me for being such a fool?" Hermione asked quietly almost a half hour later, breaking the silence. Harry sighed softly before pulling away enough to look her in the eyes.

"I won't lie to you Hermione. This incident completely destroyed my trust in you and Ron. It's going to take a long time before I completely trust you again. But I would like to be your friend and I think with time I could learn to trust you again. I warn you it will take time and things won't be like before. There will be times where I will keep secrets and not tell you things because I'm afraid you'll tell someone like Dumbledore." Harry told her quietly. She nodded sadly.

"Thank you Harry, that's more then I deserve. I'll win your trust again and I'll stand by your side like I should have done." She said firmly. For the first time since the semester started Harry felt like this was his friend and not the headmasters spy. Perhaps this would be good for the both of them. However he would forget her betrayal anytime soon or the fact that she was getting money from his accounts, but for now he would give her the benefit of the doubt. After all Dumbledore was a master of manipulation.

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Bet you were bit surprised by that but I did get more votes for Hermione to end up good, though I bet a lot of you thought I forgot.

Finally got this chapter done, not too many left, maybe 5 or 6. And probably a sequel. Don't get too excited about that though. I will probably just do a one shot of life a couple years later. Might be 6,000-10,000 words.

Thank you everyone that has stuck with this. I know I've been slow updating. Full time job and college is a bad combination. Not to mention my mom got pretty sick this year. She is better now but it kept me busy.

Thanks again and please Review.


	28. What the owls dragged in

A miracle has occurred. A new chapter as appeared and its only been a week instead of several months. Even I'm not sure what happen. I was writing and suddenly it was done. Its a little short. But I haven't decided on the next part yet. Still over a 1000 words. Maybe it was the fact that this story hit over 1000 reviews that made me want to type this up so fast. Well enjoy. Sadly it does lack Harry/Sev time.

This has m/m, violence (though lately its been rather sappy) and I don't own it. If i did I wouldn't be broke most of the time.

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For once Harry was looking forward to breakfast this morning. Normally he hated the affair since it meant dealing with Ron, Hermione, and Ginny but this morning it would be worth it. Not to mention he was curious on how Hermione would act. Ever since her break down in the hallway the brown haired Gryffindor had be quite and subdued. Either way today was sure to be exciting.

Calmly making his way down the great hall to his usual set at the end of the long table dedicated to Gryffindor he noted that the Slytherins' where more active than usual, many of them sat in clusters whispering to each other. Not surprising considering he suspected that many of them had been alerted by the parents on what to expect today. Of course they didn't know that he was involved. That secret was been kept between his Grandfather, Lucius and Sev.

Smiling ever so slightly he sat down next to Neville who was pouring over a book on unusual plants and their uses while he absently chewed on a piece of toast. Waving at the slightly chubby teen he helped himself to a healthy helping of porridge which he then proceeded to mix with honey and milk. Scanning the teacher's table saw Severus sipping on coffee. For a second their eyes meet and Harry couldn't help but feel even more excited as the dark haired man's eyes then flickered to the headmaster who was in grossed in a conversation with Hagrid. He could tell that the Slytherins head was looking forward to the day's events.

"Morning Harry," a voice said quietly from behind him. Turning he saw Hermione standing hesitantly behind him, book in hand. Smiling he gestured for her to sit. Tentatively she slid into the seat next to him. It was clear she had no clue how to act around him.

"New book?" he asked her pleasantly hoping to break her out of her funk. He still wasn't sure where they stood but he a decided that he try and be her friend again he just wouldn't trust her. Besides it wouldn't due for Dumbles to get suspicious and try something else. Of course the Headmaster was about to find a lot of other problems on his plate beyond trying to control his "weapon".

For a while the two of them ate in silence, Harry lost in thought and Hermione reading out of the huge tome she had brought with her. Sadly the peaceful silence didn't last for long. Ron and Ginevra Weasely quickly destroyed it with their appearance.

After uttering their normal greetings, Ron set down across them and began shoving his face with food. Ginny on the other hand squeezed in between Harry and Neville not even bother to apologize when she almost knocked him of the bench. She then proceeded to flutter her eyes at him in a way that she know doubt thought was seductive. He absently noted as he scooted closer to Hermione that her robe was unbuttoned to reveal an extremely low cut shirt and she was wear quite a bit of makeup.

Apparently his moving wasn't enough of a hint because she leaned forward and practically shoved her chest against his arm. Smiling up at him she put her wrist under his nose.

"What do you think of this new perfume I just got? Isn't it lovely?" she asked flirtingly. Harry suppressed an urge to gag. He doubted even a straight guy would be turned on by the slutty act.

"Not really my thing Ginny. It's much too sweet and strong for me, though I can imagine that it's pretty popular among _younger girls,_ since its smells a lot like cotton candy." Harry commented lightly, making sure to emphasis the younger girls part. He smirked mentally to himself as she pulled her arm away and pouted. Merlin the chit was so childish. He wondered if it would be worth the hassle to let her know he was gay. Probably not since that he suspected she decide that it was her duty to "save" him from his confusion by throwing herself at him. Of course it might be worth it to see her and Ron's face when he came out of the closet so to speak.

His mental debate on the pros and cons of coming out was interrupted by the sound of hundreds of wings. The owls had arrived. Looking up he watched as a variety of the winged mail deliveries landed among the tables with a variety of packages and letters. Turning to the watch the teachers table he mentally laughed evilly as the Headmaster took the paper from a rather energetic looking brown owl.

Eyes never leaving the teachers table he gave Hedwig, who had arrived with his paper and a couple of letters, a piece of bacon. Absently he stroked her head as the headmaster unrolled his paper and froze in shock. Eyes moving down the page he paled significantly, which contrasted greatly with his red and gold robes with lions prancing around the edges, a fine example of his favoritism of the lions house if ever harry had seen.

"Harry can you believe hogwash," Ginny exclaimed grabbing Harry's paper from his hand, Harry tuned her out and glanced around the room to gauge the other reactions. Most of the rest of the Gryffindor's had basically lost it however Hermione seemed rather quiet as she read over her copy. Ron on the other hand was screeching insults between bites of food. The Ravenclaws' were mostly in heated debate, and he could tell that the article had shaken quite a few of them. Most of the members of Hufflepuff looked shaken and confused however he could see a few including Susan Bones who were shooting the headmaster rather nasty looks.

"The Truth about Albus Dumbledore's relationship with the Dark Lord Grindelwald" Harry read out loud, causing those closes to turn and stare at him, "Did Dumbledore betray his lover for more power? Dumbledore the mastermind behind the famous attack on Diagon Alley." He continued, reading the headlines on the front page.

"A bunch of bloody rubbish if you ask me," Ron spat, causing food to spray from his mouth, "Probably Death Eaters trying to make him look bad." Harry shook his head.

"According to the paper the ministry has been looking into it and the investigation is being headed by Madam Bones. I doubt the head of the department of magical law enforcement would have gotten involved if this was just a rumor. There had to be more to it than that." Harry pointed out, hoping to raise some suspicion in his fellow classmates' heads.

"You saying you believe all this crap about the Headmaster?" Ron hollered, face turning red. The loud mouthed Gryffindor stood up in his seat with fists clenched, glaring at Harry.

"That is not what I said. What I said was that there must be some truth this if the department of magical enforcement is getting involved. For all we know Dumbledore simply knew Gellert in their youth and this is being blown out of proportion. The matter will no doubt be investigated. Until then it is pointless to speculate." Harry explained calmly, resting the urge to roll his eyes as his former friends' blind hero worship.

"Harry's right." Hermione said softly, much to the dark haired teen's surprise, "Madam Bones is nothing if not fair. I have no doubt that they will do a proper investigation and won't let things like rumors and politics interfere." Her words calmed the red head down and he sat back in his seat and returned to stuffing his face. Harry however was once again observing his classmates. Several of them kept glancing his way, no doubt noting that he hadn't immediately jumped to the headmaster's defense. Smiling slightly he returned to his breakfast with a renewed vigor.

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I love you all for sticking with me after all this time. Its been like over 4 years now since the first chapter. Holy crap right.

Please review if you don't I'll have Dumbles kill Sev with a lemon drop.


	29. A stolen ring and a red head

First let me say that this thing developed a life of its own. This is not where I intended for this chapter to go. However I had a review remind me that I hadn't dealt with a certain character and somehow this emerged. It's a bit longer then a lot of my other chapters too. Sadly still no Sev/Harry time but I promise next chapter.

This has violence, rape, slash and other mature themes. Of course if you made it this far you already know all this.

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Chapter 29

The last couple of days had been rather amusing. Students had paid very little attention in class to busy gossiping. Gryffindor was now in the negatives, since they had been unable to be slightly subtle in their debates over the articles or rather fights.

Already information on Dumble's sister's death and an accounting on the actual final battle between the two lovers, far less epic then the tale Dumbledork and several of his puppets had painted had been released. Yesterday's paper had also included that the Headmaster's favorite phrase "For the Great Good" was one that he had coined off Gellert. The paper had even printed letters the two had written to each other.

Dumbledore had not appeared at all during this time, much to busy fruitlessly trying to do damage control. Newspapers with shocking articles continued to arrive daily and Harry had looked forward to the reactions of Dumblefucks dirty secrets as they were revealed, however today was a different matter.

The headlines today would be the first in a line the detailed what Dumbledore had done to Harry. While today would be rather mild, just releasing his parents will and Dumbledore's decision to ignore it and place him with the very people his parents had requested he never be left with, it was the beginning and having the wizarding world know he had been abused wasn't not something he really wanted. Fortunately it had decided it would be best if the rape was left out, much to Harry's relief.

Either way the release of the will was sure to be a large blow. Not only had Dumbledore ignored his parents' wishes on where to place him, no were in the will had Dumbledore be listed as a guardian. Which of course meant, not only had he violated the will he had also falsified documents and basically kidnapped Harry. Something Harry fully intended to charge him for immediately after the paper arrived. This of course would be coupled by the charges for the large amounts of gold and personal items that had been taken from his vault.

Bracing himself Harry went to sit down at the table. Basically everyone else was already in the great hall. Harry had been too nervous to arrive any earlier and had instead taken a walk around the grounds in hopes to calm his nerves.

For once Ginny was sitting farther down the table talking with Lavender and several other girls. Seeing him she smiled at him. Fully planning to ignore her he reach out to snag some toast when something sparkly caught his eye. Ginny was showing off a ring on her left finger to the girls, which would have been an unexpected relief if he hadn't caught sight of the Potter family crest. Blood roared in his ears as his temper quickly rose to the surface.

How dare the bitch wear the Potter Crest, stolen from his own vaults no less? Standing he stalked over to Ginny, his magic dancing violently around him, so strong it was visible. Many of the Gryffindor's scooted back at the display of magic rolling of the furious boy-who-lived, while their head of house started to male her way towards the scene looking worried. Harry ignored them, his attention focused on the ring adorning the little red head bitch's finger.

"Harry," Ginny greeted him, with a wave, oblivious to the rage rolling of the older teen. Harry just glared at her a few seconds, trying to desperate to stop himself from lashing out at her with his magic.

"Where exactly did you get that RING?" he finally managed to ground out. Ginny smiled seductively up at him.

"You mean my engagement ring?" She asked showing off the gold ring with the Potter coat of arms carved into a dark ruby, looking rather proud of herself. Fortunately for her their Head of House arrived at that moment otherwise Harry would have smacked her.

"What is going on here Mr. Potter," the older woman asked the furious teen, wand gripped firmly in her hand.

"I would like to know that myself, Professor," Harry answered voice cold as ice. He gestured to the Weaslette. Professor McGonagall turned to the red head in confusion.

"If you note the ring on her hand bears the Potter Crest. What's more it's the wedding ring my mother wore. I would love to know how someone with no connection with the potter family managed to get a hold of an item that was in the potter family vault and then had the nerve to wear it. I would be well within my rights to declare a blood feud over this right now. "Harry explained to the teacher while looking at the youngest Weasley in disgust only vaguely noting that her brother had at some point moved to her side.

"Watch your tongue you man. That is a serious threat you are making over something that I'm sure is can be easily cleared up," the older woman responded sternly. Harry snorted and held up his hand.

"Ring of the house of Potter, return to you owner's hand." He said coolly. The ring on Ginny's finger glowed gold for a second be for it vanished, only to reappear in Harry's hand. Lovely he traced the crest before shooting a look of pure venom at Ginny who had the gall to look furious.

"Together always, my Lily," he murmured at last, reading out loud the delicate script written on the inside of the ring, "there is no denying that this is my mother's ring, nor that this is the potter crest. Only a member of a noble house is allowed to wear its coat of arms. For another to do so is line theft. My threat is no less serious than the crime. It would be well with in my rights to bankrupt and destroy the Weasely family over this." Harry announced, loud enough for his audience, a large group of students, to hear every word. He smirked slightly as the surrounding students started to whisper excitedly, many point at Ginny. Line theft was a serious charge in the wizard world.

"Miss Weasely, perhaps you can explain this situation to myself and Mr. Potter?" Professor McGonagall asked as she suppressed a sinking feeling. Harry raised an eyebrow. Somehow he knew that Dumble's was behind this, who else had access to his vault and had stolen from it after all.

"The headmaster gave it to me, its proof of Harry and my engagement. Now give it back. "Ginny declared, looking rather proud of herself as she held out her hand demanding her ring. Her brother was smirking as well, his chest puffed out in pride. Harry couldn't help himself he snickered at the sight of the two.

"And why and the bloody hell would you think I would marry you, Dumbledore or no? We aren't in any relationship. I've never shown any interest in you. Hell I don't even swing that way." He asked, once he had gained control of himself, his anger returning. Ginny stepped back a second at the pure hatred at the green-eyed male's voice, before pulling herself together and smiling.

"It's ok Harry. I know you're confused but Dumbledore knows what is best for you. He and my parents signed a marriage contract. We will be wed this summer, it will be lovely." She simpered looking up at him. Harry just shook his head.

"Ginny, Ginny, Ginny," He said softly smirking as ran his eyes down her body, "if you were the last person on earth I wouldn't marry you. I'm just not into money grubbing bitches that've already slept with a third of the male population." Much to his amusement both Weasleys went red, making them both look like tomatoes. Surprising theie head of house stayed quiet.

"Well you don't have a choice Potter," Ron spat, as he clenched his fist, "you can't break a marriage contract. Not that you deserve my sister you poof." The teen sneered. For the second time that day Harry laughed, causing those listening to look at him strangely.

"I'm afraid you wrong. You see while marriage contracts are impossible to break, when legally done, I'm afraid only the Head of the House of Potter can sign one for members of the house of Potter and in case you haven't figured it out, that head would be me. Even my magical guardian would be unable to so. So there is no way that a marriage contract signed by Albus Dumbledore, who isn't even my magical guardian, much less the head of the Noble house of Potter would be binding." Harry explained slowly, likely he was dealing with small children. Ginny paled drastically, her eyes wide. Ron on the other hand looked furious. Harry suspected the only reason the other male hadn't swung at him was due to the fact that their head of house was standing less the 3 feet away.

"But the headmaster said, "Ginny started, only for the very man they were speaking of to interrupt.

"Ah, I hope everything was ok. I couldn't help notice how tense you looked, my boy." The headmaster said cheerfully, blue eyes twinkling, looking every bit the kindly old grandfather.

"We were just discussing the seriousness of line theft headmaster," harry answered coolly, stepping back as the headmaster stepped closer.

"While line theft is a serious issue, I am unsure how this is an appropriate discussion between friends." The man answered smoothly looking nothing more the curious, not that Harry believed that the man was fully aware of what was happening. Having Dumbledore sadly around must have given Ginny back her confidence since she now stepped closer to Harry smiling.

"I'm afraid Harry just misunderstood when he saw my ring. I'm sure once you explain the engagement to him it will be fine, headmaster." The girl said smiling seductively up from behind her bangs. Harry just shook his head, did nothing get through her thick skull.

"As a told you before there is **no** engagement." Harry murmured while he slid his hand into his pocket and slipped on the potter lordship ring. The other rings currently hung on a goblin made chain around his neck since he didn't want anyone to know about them yet, but he had put the Potter ring in his pocket because he had a feeling it would come in handy today if Dumbles tried to claim guardianship over him in some way once the will was revealed.

"Ah my boy, you are indeed engaged to Mrs. Weasley. Knowing how you feel about the Weasley family, I, as your guardian offered them a marriage contract between you and their daughter. The two of you will be wed over them summer. With Voldemort out there causing trouble I felt it was necessary to guarantee you will have someone to support you. You deserve a little bit of happiness after all my boy." The old man explained eyes twinkling as he stroked his long beard.

"Are you the head of the noble and ancient house of Potter?" Harry asked softly, his eyes gleaming brightly with rage. The headmaster shook his head and began to speak; Harry raised a hand for silence. In surprise the Headmaster stopped.

"Then I'm afraid you have no right to engage me to anyone. As I already explained to them," he gestured at Ron and Ginny, "only the head of the house of Potter can arrange marriage contracts and as you agreed, you are not the head of the house of Potter." He finished, his calm voice belittling the rage burning in his eyes. Hearing the flapping of wings, he turned just in time to watch Hedwig land at the table beside him with his mail. Walking over he picked up the paper and unrolled it.

"Potter will ignored. Albus Dumbledore illegally claims Boy-Who-lives' guardianship." He read out loud. Turning he looked the headmaster in the eye as he showed the man the paper, ignore the whispers around him.

"It seems not only are you not the head of house, you're not now nor have you ever legally been my guardian. That supposed marriage contract is nothing but a waste of paper and ink, written up by people who have no legal say in my life. "Harry spat.

"My boy, I am afraid that as a minor you have to have a legal guardian and with Sirus…" Dumbledore trailed off in shock as Harry held out his hand revealing his lordship ring sighting proudly on his finger.

"I recently discovered an interesting fact. You see when a minor over the age of 11 claims a lordship they immediately become emancipated and as you can see I've claimed the Potter Lordship. So I'm afraid I need no legal guardian. I am now considered an adult by the wizard world. "Harry explained smirking at Dumbledore's dumbfounded face.

"As for the illegal attempts to take over my guardianship, I guarantee that it will be looked into." He continued causing Dumbledore to pale drastically, the white of his skin contrasting greatly with the orange and green robes.

"Harry, my boy, perhaps we should discuss this in my office," Dumbledore said, looking around at all the students that where making no attempt to pretend they weren't listening.

"I'm afraid I will have to refuse. Considering the recent evidence I believe that it is in my best interest to stay away from you. "Harry responded.

"I'm afraid that as your headmaster I must insist." Dumbledore said, looking furiously. Harry smirked to himself as many of the nearby students shifted away from the headmaster looking scared. It seems that the man had lost control of his temper and had let his kindly wise grandfather act slip.

"According to the Hogwart bylaws, the headmaster has no say in student's personal business. What's more all school related issues are to be handled by the Head of House. This was probably added in the Hogwarts regulations to insure that the Headmaster is neutral regarding any politics relating to students. Either way, I'm afraid that you have no right to demand I go to your office. If you have any disciplinary complaints you can take them up with Professor McGonagall. I'm afraid I've got to go to class now. Merlin knows what Professor Snape will do to me if I'm late." Harry explained as he started gathering up his stuff. Ignoring the headmaster and the other students shocked expressions he left the hall heading towards Severus's class room. He had no doubt that his lover would want to look over his memory of the dumbfounded look on Dumbles face. Not to mention he might have enough to sneak in a few kisses.

* * *

Sev- So she finally got around to dealing with the slut.

Harry- How anyone could think I would agree to a marriage contract with. *shudders at the thought*

Sev- Your mine. I'd kill her before she could lay a single finger on you.

Harry- *Looks dreamily at Sev* Only yours.

Author – Never got their romance in the books. I mean she like hero worships him and stalks him.

Author- then again I never got why harry was friends with Ron either. I mean he turns on him and seems to only care about his fame.

Harry- welllllllllll, it was the Gryffindor in me.

Sev- *sighs* Gryffindor equals no brains.

Please review if you want more sev/harry time.


	30. In which Justice is served

A new chapter just for you all, still no Snarry in this one but I promise it will be in the next one.

All grammar and spelling errors are my own. Love me not for my grammar.

I don't own it. If I did I would have left Ginny in the chamber.

Warning this contains adult materials. If you have gotten this far and didn't notice you may require help.

Now on to the show.

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Chapter 30

Sitting on the chair next to his lawyer Harry felt like he was the one on trial and not Dumbledore and his goons. Dumbledore's defense had tried multiple times during the trial to turn the whole thing around on him, trying to make him look crazy attention seeking liar, asking inappropriate questions and try to twist around ever thing he said.

Unfortunately for both the man and those on trial the lawyer that Lucius had gotten Harry was very good and had come prepared. Something that Harry suspected Dumbledore hadn't prepared for. No doubt the man still thought that Harry would be ill prepared. The look on the man's face when he had recognized the lawyer had been priceless. Not as amusing as the look on his face when the aerators had arrived to arrest him, Ron, Ginny and Hermione. That was one moment Harry would never forget.

It had been in the middle of dinner and most of the students had been in the great hall when they had arrived causing the giant doors of the entrance to slam open with their arrival startling everyone in the hall. Dumbledore had stood surprised at the abrupt and rather rude arrival. Several teachers had also risen as the head of the group of aurors had strolled down the hall to stand in front of the teacher's table.

He had then much to the shock of the school proceeded to pull out a scroll and charge Dumbledore with child neglect and abuse, line theft, stealing money, abuse of powers, and several other crimes. With each crime the headmaster had paled even more. The aurors had led him away before the teachers had a chance to recover.

Much to Harry's glee two aurors approached the Gryffindor table. Too shocked by the sudden events the gryffindor's didn't notice their approach until three of their own were being lead away. Looking upset Hermione's eyes flickered to Harry. Seeing him wink she had straightened slightly and allowed them to lead her away with no protest.

Ron on the other hand had to be dragged from the hall, frozen. Ginny had screamed and cried hysterically but allowed them to arrest her when she saw them petrify her brother. It was the headmaster's reaction that had been the best however. The man had sneered, promising that they would all lose their jobs for this indignity. He had haughtily walked down the hall right up until he tripped, falling face first giving the school a good look at the hideous orange boxers he was wearing.

Harry was pretty sure he had seen one of the auror's that Dumbledore had insulted smirking as he tucked his wand back into its holster. The minute that the great doors shut the talking started as students starting questioning what had happened and remember incidents that had been brushed aside. Classes had been canceled to the chaos, teachers too worked up to teach even if the students could focus enough to listen.

It seemed that Dumbledore had decided to use the trial to get back at Harry. Several witnesses had been called up, including a pair of students, Harry vaguely recalled, to testify about stunts he had pulled. Most of was exaggerated to make him look bad and some of it was completely made up. None of it had held up after his lawyer a Mr. Kauffman had demanded that the memory of their testaments be viewed in front of the court. Most had immediately back down on their claims and the few memories that were viewed, in full at Mr. Kauffman's insistence, painted a completely different story then the one the witnesses had tried to paint.

When it was Dumbledorks turn to be called to the stand he had played the guardian card, claiming that it was his right as Harry's guardian to use the money. As he went on about it being in Harry's best interest the teen started to laugh, causing the court to glance at him. Finally Dumbdoor finished his tale which painted him as this wonderful grandfatherly character that had done everything to help and protect young Harry who had turned on him in an attempt to gain fame and Harry's lawyers turn to take the stage.

"Mr. Dumbledore," Kauffman said, purposively leaving off the man's titles, "you claim that you have done all this in Harry's best interest. Perhaps you can explain to the good people of this court why being beaten almost to death was in my client's best interest?" He asked causing more than a few members to start murmuring.

"I'm afraid the fame has gotten to young Harry's head. He has completely exaggerated the extent of some completely deserved punishments. He was at no time at any risk what so ever of being killed. That he would claim such things of his loving family deeply saddens me." Dumbledore answered, shaking his head looking disappointed.

"Several people including the schools healer disagree with your statement. I have here my client's health records, including a list of all the injuries that he arrived with, after one Severus Snape took him from his relatives' "loving care"." Kauffman said coldly as he handed over the documents to council. Harry winced slightly as he was shot looks of pity by many of the members after they viewed the documents.

"It is clear, that not only did they almost kill Lord Potter this summer, they've also severally beaten him quite some time. What's more, there is documented proof that you, Albus Dumbledore, where informed on several occasions that there was a problem and chose to ignore it." Kauffman announced pointing an accusing figure at the headmaster.

"They were his closest relatives," the headmaster started angrily. Kauffman slammed a document down on the podium.

"Relatives he was, according to his parent's will, which you witnessed no less, that he was never suppose to go to, due to the fact that they despise magic and his mother feared they would not treat him well. Instead he was to go to one of a list of guardians which I might add doesn't not have your name anywhere on it Albus, though it does list Madame Bones, his godmother, who I believe would have been happy to take him in." Kauffman declared coldly. He looked up at Madame Bones to confirm his statement. She nodded looking her lips pressed tight with anger. Dumbledore stood there quivering with rage. Smirking slightly Kauffman drew another paper out.

"Then there is this little document. Ladies and Gentlemen of the court, not only did this man have the gall to basically kidnap Lord Potter and leave him in an abusive environment while he stole his money, he also attempted to commit line theft. This document in my hand is a marriage document between one Ginevra Weasely and Lord Harrison James Potter signed by Albus Brian Dumbledore, who as you all know is not in any shape way or form Lord Potter's legal guardian. The document promises money from Lord Potter's accounts, something that the Albus has no right too, and the title of Lady Potter in exchange for Miss Weasely's hand in marriage." Kauffman spat, causing the room to gasp. He turned to look at the members of the court.

"Ladies and gentleman I implore you. Don't allow this man to get away with the atrocious crimes he has committed. Image if it was your child who was in Lord Potter's place. Shall this man so powerful that he above the law?" Kauffman asked softly as he met the eyes of each of the members of the court.

Mutters filled the room. At last the minister stood. Looking at Dumbledore Fudge called for a vote. Harry held his breathe as hands slowly rose, one after another. Soon most of the members had their hands in the air. Looking satisfied Fudge nodded.

"I pronounce you Albus Dumbledore guilty of 39 counts of theft, aiding in child abuse, child neglect, attempted line theft, kidnapping, hiding legal documents, violating a will and unlawfully placing spells on Lord Potter. You are sentenced to life in Azkaban with your magic sealed" Fudge declared smugly. Dumbledore looked stunned at the sentence. Harry suspected that the man believed he would get off lightly if he was found guilty.

Lucius had made sure that would not be the case. He had a lot of weight with the lords and it hadn't taken much to convince them that if not stopped there would be nothing to prevent the man from trying to steal their lordships, by arranging accidents.

As the aurors led the struggling man away Harry sighed in relief. A hand brushed his shoulder and Harry turned to see Lucius. The silver man held out his hand revealing a piece of blank paper. Harry frowned confused. The older man smiled slightly.

"I thought that after such a stressful day you would prefer to avoid the press. This portkey will ensure that they can't find you." Harry took it gratefully. Lucius tapped it with his wand and stepped back.

"Do tell Severus I send my greetings." The Slytherin Lord said right before Harry felt the familiar pull and vanished.

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Yes, yes I know no snarry and a cliffy. Please don't kill me. But I guarantee some fluff next time.

We will still have the Weasely's and Hermione's trial. Yes I know I had the making up scene. Hermione's trial will answer some question from the beginning.

Please review….or I will be forced to make Sev dress in Dumble's robes. X_X

LOL and now the portkey is no longer porky for anyone who noticed the spelling error.


	31. Improper use of a couch

First let me warn you this is a shorter chapter. Only a little over a thousand words.

_**Fluff alert Fluff alert**_

Well if you some how missed it in the first 30 chapters this has m/m, violence, adult themes and a lot of stuff that children shouldn't be reading.

If you don't like Harry/Sev, first why are you still reading, second your going to hate this chapter.

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Chapter 31

Severus was sitting in a chair, wearing a soft white shirt and black pants he normally wore to bed when he bothered to wear anything at all, trying not the worry about how Harry was doing when the wards on his rooms alerted him to an incoming portkey. Despite the fact that only a select few that were keyed into the wards could make such an item he drew his wand. It never hurt to be careful, especially with the current war.

Much to his astonishment it was one green-eyed Gryffindor who appeared before him. Remembering the teen's luck with any magically transportation besides a broom, he hurried stepped forward and managed to catch the younger man as he stumbled forward.

"Harry?" he asked as he pulled the younger man closer, enjoying the feel of the slender frame pressed against his own. Much to his amusement the teen nuzzled his throat instead of responding.

"As much as I'm enjoying this, I would like to know how the trial went. Not to mention how you ended up in my chambers." Severus murmured. Sighing Harry pulled back far enough to see the other man's face.

"The declared him guilt, sentenced him for life. As for how I got here, well you can blame Lucius for that. Not that I'm not grateful. This beat's being attacked by reporters." Harry explained, before he snuggled back into the older man's chest.

Realizing that he wasn't going to get anything else from the Gryffindor, at least for now, he stepped back and slid down on the couch, pulling the green-eyed teen with him, until the younger man was straddling his lap. Startled at the sudden shift Harry looked up. Severus, seizing the opportunity, leaned down and captured the teen's mouth in a kiss.

Much to his pleasure the soft pink lips parted for him, giving him the opportunity to plunder the teen's mouth. After a few seconds Harry began to respond with enthusiasm.

Once satisfied he had explored every inch of the younger man's mouth Severus turned his attention to the pale column of flesh above the teen's collar. Gently he rained kisses on every inch of flesh not covered, before biting down hard enough to leave a mark on the teen's throat, causing Harry to moan. Smirking to himself the potion master proceeded to mark the teen several other places, ripping more moans from the younger man.

Pulling back Severus looked up at his hand work. The younger man's eyes were glazed over in lust, pink lips swollen from kissing and several bite marks lined his throat. He made a delectable image straddling Severus legs.

The older man felt himself hardening at the sight. His eye's never leaving Harry's face; he reached up and started to unbutton the younger man's robes.

The teen's eyes widen slightly when he felt Severus harden beneath him but offered no protest when the dark eyed Slytherin began to undo his robe. With deft fingers Severus made quick work of the robes leaving Harry in a white shirt and pants.

Still watching his lover's expression for any sign of discomfort, Severus slid his fingers under the shirt and caressed the muscular chest. Despite the fact that the teen was rather slender, he was still well toned and Severus could feel the muscles under the smooth satiny skin.

"Sev," Harry gasped as the older man's fingers brushed against a nipple. Smirking slightly Severus squeezed it lightly before brushing over it with the pad of his thumb.

Deciding that the shirt was too much of a hindrance, he reached down and grabbed the edges of the white shirt and started to pull it off. The teen quickly obliged and the after a few seconds the teen's chest was bare.

Turning his attention back to the teen's nipples he caressed one with his thumb while gently squeezing the other. Harry whimpered slightly and threw his head back. Smirking slightly Severus leaned down and took right one into his mouth.

The teen jerked and let out a piecing moan as the older man rolled the firm piece of flesh in his mouth. After thoroughly bathing the nipple he turned his attention to the other one. Harry shuddered as he bite down, making the pert nipple redden.

As he continued to ravish the rest of the teen's chest he slipped a hand down to the edge of Harry's pants. The teen stiffened slightly as Severus slid his fingers under the hem.

"Harry?" Severus asked quietly, as he paused in his administrations, waiting for permission. For several minutes the teen studied him before nodding. Severus slid his fingers into the teen's hair and brought him close for a kiss as he gently undid the teen's pants.

Pulling back he shifted moving Harry over until he was lying on the couch. With graceful easy he quickly removed Harry's shoes and tossed them to the floor. Harry's pants and undergarments quickly meet the same fate and the teen was laid bare.

Embarrassed the teen tried to cover himself; Severus caught his hands and leaned down to ravish his mouth.

"Beautiful," the older man whispered drink in the sight of the emerald eyed teen as he pulled back. Reaching out he wrapped long fingers around the teen's hardening flesh. Harry gasped and bucked up into his grip.

"Relax," Severus whispered as he continued to stroke the teen. The gentle but firm touches quickly brought Harry, who was unused to such pleasure to his peak and it wasn't long before he emptied himself in Severus's hand.

Smiling down at the teen Severus drew his wand and quickly cast a cleaning spell. Harry blinked up at him as the older man wrapped his arms around the teen and picked him up. In a rather romantic gesture that he would never admit to he carried the teen to his bed.

Laying the teen down summoned one of his softest night shirts and pants and spelled them on the teen. Harry blinked at him, confusion darkening his eyes. He sat up and reached for Severus. Know his intention as well as the fact that the teen wasn't ready to take that step he brushed the younger man's hands away.

"Sev?" Harry started confused. Severus smiled slightly before kissing the teen softly on the lips. He pulled back and looked down at the uncertain teen.

"Not tonight. I do not believe that you are comfortable with the idea, yet." Severus murmured. Harry blushed and looked down, unable to deny that the older man was right. Not that it stopped him from feeling guilty for not returning the gesture.

"My decision to pleasure you does not mean that you are required to do the same. The fact that you were comfortable enough to allow me to do so is enough for me." The Slytherin told the teen softly as he slipped in next to him.

"Now stop worrying about it and get some rest brat." Severus teased as he wrapped his arms around the teen. Too comfortable to protest Harry snuggled up against him and quickly fell into slumber.

* * *

Um well this was sort of long in coming. But it wasn't really suppose to go this far in this chapter. The scene sort got away from me. I had planned to get back to the trial in this chapter but it didn't happen. But at least you got some Snarry time. Please review or Sev will run off with Ron and have red headed brats.


	32. The trial of friends

Author- I'm back. Did you all miss me? *Dances around like a fool*

Harry- What's go her so excited?

Severus- One year anniversary. She got some jewelry.

Harry- oh I should have known.

Severus- *sighs* Well I guess I should do the disclaimer. She * points to the dancing author* doesn't own Harry Potter. This is slash. There is violence and rape. If you missed that in the first 31 chapters then you are an moron.

Author- Males, you just don't get it *huffs*

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**Chapter 32**

"We shall begin with the trial of one Hermione Granger." Madame Bones declared tapping her wand against the table before her.

Harry was once again in the court room, to attend the trials of Hermione and the Weasleys. Unlike Dumbledore's trial, which had dragged out all day, probably do to the headmaster's political power, these would be short, the accused being administered the truth potion and nothing beyond that.

Hermione's was first. The teen was currently sitting in a chair before the court, shifting uncomfortably. Not that Harry blamed her. Many of the members of the ministry of magic were glaring at her, no doubt convinced that if the Headmaster had been guilty then she too must be. Harry wasn't as sure, he knew all too well her blind obedience to anyone of authority.

A man came forth, dressed in dark green robes with a symbol that identified him as a healer and dispensed the potion. Once verifying that it had taken effect, he stepped back, and Harry's lawyer took his place.

"Miss Granger were you aware that the money your parents received belonged to Lord Potter? Or that the headmaster had been stealing money from him?" Kauffman asked calmly, looking completely professional.

"No, my parents and I were informed that it was part of a scholarship available to muggleborns. I wasn't aware that he was stealing the money. My parents and I would have never agreed to it if we had" Hermione replied dully, her eyes vacant. Harry relaxed a bit, relieved. That was the one part he hadn't been sure about.

"Did you, Miss Granger spy on Lord Potter?" Kauffman asked, moving on, as several people started murmuring in surprise at Hermione's response.

"I did inform the Headmaster about Harry's actions on several occasions per his request." Hermione replied. Harry snorted slightly, Hermione couldn't help herself on that account. She was a worrier and Harry didn't exactly make it easy for her, with all the rules he had broke.

"And why did you inform the Headmaster?" Kauffman asked, smoothly, ignoring the outraged muttering of the court.

"For his safety. The Headmaster asked me to watch Harry because he feared that he was too rash and due to the fact that he is the boy-who-lived, his rash actions could put his life at risk or potential endanger others. The headmaster also claimed that he had too much power political both due to his fame and his lordship but he was only a child and lacked the wisdom to use it properly. So it was necessary to prevent him from getting over his head" Hermione explained.

Harry resisted the urge bang his head at that. He could just see Dumbles sitting behind his desk, gently telling Hermione that Harry was just a child who had no understand of politics and wouldn't understand how much damage his fame or rashness could cause and he need her help to protect Harry from himself and those who wanted to use or kill him.

"Were you aware of Lord Potter's living conditions? " Kauffman asked after a brief pause, Harry winced. He still wasn't happy about that becoming public knowledge.

"I had believed that they were somewhat rude and distant, but the headmaster promised me that Harry was not being physically hurt and that a few cruel words a small price to for the protection that the blood wards offered and I believed him. It wasn't until this school year after he was removed from their household that I learned that the Headmaster had lied to me." Hermione explained softly. Harry smiled slightly and gestured to his lawyer. The older man nodded in understanding.

"I have finished my questioning. Due to the fact that it seems that Miss Granger was misguided and not acting out of malice and Dumbledore has manipulated those who are far older and wise then she, my client wishes to drop all charges." Kauffman stated, he moved away from the chair and approached Harry. Harry nodded in agreement at Madame Bones' questioning look.

The healer administrated the antidote to the drugged teen. Hermione blinked several times, her eyes struggling to refocus before turning to look at Harry. Harry smiled at her. She returned it looking relieved to be free.

"Very well, all charges will be dropped and Miss Granger is free to go." Madame Bones announced. Hermione rose, and looked around hesitantly. Harry patted the seat next him. Hermione smiled grateful and collapsed down next to him.

She still looked rather pale, this had been rather stressful on her. He hated having to put her through this but he needed to be sure, she had betrayed his trust after all, even if she had done it with the best intentions. Besides, it was better for her to have her innocence proven. Otherwise the public might not believe it, thinking that she was fooling him like Dumbledore had.

"Please have Mr. Ron Weasely brought to the court room. His trial will begin momentarily." Madame Bones declared. Kinsley and an auror that Harry didn't recognize left out a side door. Harry spared a moment to wonder what the order member thought of the situation before he was distracted by their returned moments later, as they dragged the red head between them. Ron struggled, cursing as he was forcefully placed in the chair and bound.

The healer forced the veritaserum down the struggling teen's throat as soon as Madame Bones gave him the nod to begin. Harry smirked slightly, this was going to be fun. It seemed he wasn't the only one who thought so. He swore Kauffman approached the red haired teen with a bounce in his step, grinning evilly.

"Mr. Weasely, were you aware that the money you were receiving was coming from Lord Potter's vault?" Kauffman asked, the now vacant eyed teen.

"Yes, it was part of the agreement. I received money from Potter's vault in exchange for reporting his doings to the headmaster, keeping him from make more friends and preventing him from learning too much about the wizard world and his heritage. " Ron revealed dully. Harry was delighted to here the outrage of the listening wizards and witches. It was about time Ron got his due.

"And you found nothing wrong with this Mr. Weasely? After all you were stealing from your supposed best friend" Kauffman inquired, coldly. Ron shook his head.

"He was never my friend. He had all this money he didn't need and he never spent any on me. What's more he was always stealing all the glory. I figured the gold was the least I deserved for putting up within him. I only had to pretend for a few more years until he married Ginny." Ron answered. Harry's eyes narrowed, at his words.

"And why is that?" Kauffman asked, sounding as suspicious as Harry felt.

"Because once Harry and Ginny married and we had unlimited access to Harry's vault, then Dumbledore planned to send Harry after Voldemort and once the two offed each other then the order would take out the rest of the death eaters and I would finally have the fame and money I deserve." Ron stated. His monotone words evoked the rage of many of the listeners and Harry could here calls for the Kiss.

"And what would have happen if Lord Potter didn't die during the battle?" Kauffman asked his voice deadly quiet. The whole room was absolutely silent, waiting on bated breathe for the answer.

"Then we would have to insure that he died of his injures. Potter's far too powerful to be allowed to live once his usefulness has run out. Dumbledore would have made sure that he didn't survive to ruin our plans." Ron explained.

An uproar broke out, however Harry was to busy trying to control his temper and magic to pay any attention. Hermione broke down next to him crying. It was several minutes before Madame Bones managed to get control of the court room.

"I believe we have heard enough." Kauffman declared, as he stalked away. Madame Bones nodded.

"Members of the court, those who judge this man guilty raise your hand." Madame Bones stated. Lucius's hand went up first. A multitude of others quickly followed. Looking grim but satisfied, Madame Bones nodded.

"Innocent?" She asked once the count was tallied up, though it was clear that most of the court had decided he was guilty. Two members raised their hands, both people who Harry recognized as the ones that vote against Dumbledork's sentencing and were considered the Headmaster's most loyal supporters. He smirked, looks like even the so called light didn't agree with Dumbles plans, if only two of them still stood behind him. Once Ron had received the antidote from the healer, Madame Bones stood.

"Ronald Weasely, you are hereby sentenced to life in Azkaban. Your property and vault will be seized and used to repay the money taken from Lord Potter's vault." Madame Bones declared, much to Harry's satisfaction.

Harry watched as the red head was dragged cursing his name as he was forced out of the courtroom. It was about time his supposed "best friend" got what he deserved.

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Review please. It makes me happy. Happy Authors right more.


	33. Trial of a stalker obsessed redhead

Well I'm back again, in less then two weeks no less. Please nobody die of shock.

I doubt the next chapter will be up as quick, though I'll be updating more often then I had before. This will probably be finished before Christmas. Thanks to everyone who stuck with me. Its been a long and strange road. Please note that once this is finished I will go back and do some editing. Not a complete revamp, just some spell checking and plot hole fixing.

I don't own it. Its rated M for a reason. yes sev jumps harry in this story.

I've babbled long enough, time for the show.

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Chapter 33

Unlike Ron, Ginny didn't have to dragged in. Instead she walked between the two Aurors with her head held high. She sneered as she sat down at the aurors as she sat down. Harry had to shake his head at her gall. She was acting like she was above everyone there.

When the healer approached her, Ginny turned her noise up, looking insulted. The healer ignored her disgust and quickly dosed her. Harry had to snicker as she gagged as the potion went down.

"Have fun," Harry said softly to his lawyer as Kauffman walked past him to beginning questioning. The older man smirked, and nodded slightly as he strolled to the front of the room.

"Miss Weasely, were you aware that the money you received was going from Lord Potter's vault?" Kauffman started, taking the same route he had with Ron and Hermione. Ginny nodded once to the question.

"And why did you accept the money if you were aware it was stolen?" Kauffman asked, coolly. Harry leaned forward curious. Ron had always been jealous of his wealth but he was unsure what motive Ginny had to steal his money considering she was supposed to be in love with him.

"Because it was my right as the future Lady Potter. It would legally be mine once we married, so why shouldn't I get to spend it now, when I need it." Ginny explained calmly. Her words sparked a deep rage in Harry. He clenched his fists. How dare that twit think that her delusions gave her the right to steal from him.

"And why did do you believe that Lord Potter intended to marry you?" Kauffman asked, sounding more then slightly disgusted. Not that Harry blamed him.

"Because he was promised to me by Dumbledore. I knew it was my destiny to be Lady Potter ever since my mom told me his story. After he saved me from the chamber of secrets I knew that he could feel it too. The two of us were fated to be together." Ginny, murmured. Despite the fact that the truth potion was suppose to suppress emotions she sounded completely and totally obsessed.

"And what of Lord Potter's feelings. Did you feel it was right to force him into a marriage that he might not want?" Kauffman asked the drugged teen.

"Harry loves me. He just a little confused, what with dealing with You-Know-Who and having all those sluts throwing themselves at him. That why the marriage contract was necessary. Once we were married he would then understand how perfect for each other. " Ginny explained, much to Harry's horror.

That bitch, the green-eyed teen thought with horror, had intended to bind him to her in order to fulfill some deluded childhood fantasy she had, with no care on how he felt about it, all because she thought they were destined.

In a way what Ginny had done was worse then Ron and Dumbledore's actions. Ron had taken his money out of jealous and Dumbledore had done everything he had to control Harry. Ginny however believed her sick twisted feelings of hero worship gave her the right to steal from him and force him into wedlock.

Disgusted and enraged by his thoughts and the red heads words, Harry's magic began to pulse wildly around him causing the room around him to shake. Several papers on the table went flying and the stone walls groaned. Hermione shivered next him as his magic washed over her.

Too caught up in his rage, Harry didn't notice as the other wizards and witches turned to stare at him in awe and a bit of fear.

"Harry," Hermione whispered, hesitatingly touching his shoulder. She flinched slightly as he turned to look at her, his emerald eyes filled with rage.

"You have to get control of your magic, your making the room shake." Hermione whispered to her friend, ignore the stares, as she focused on her friend. Harry's eyes widen in realization. With a visible effort he reigned his power back. Looking around he noted all the stares. He frowned confused, surely this wasn't the first time someone had lost control of their magic before the court. After all even adult wizards were apt to lose control when in danger or under sever stress.

"You'd think they had never seen a wizard lose control of his magic from the way their staring," He murmured to Hermione. The girl frowned, thinking. Suddenly she jerked up and stared at Harry is shock. Confused Harry raised an eyebrow at the other teen.

"You shouldn't have been able to use your power here. There are wards on all the courtrooms in order to prevent the use of magic. After all emotions can often run high during a trial. Only Aurors and certain officials who have been keyed to the wards can use their magic." Hermione explained softly, looking at him in awe. Harry sighed, this was all he needed, another thing that made him different. Well at least his ability might prove useful later.

"Miss Weasely, was anyone else involved in the Marriage contract between Lord Potter and yourself and were you aware of anyone else involved in the thefts." Kauffman asked, pulling the courtrooms attention back to the trial at hand much to Harry's relief.

"Yes, my mother was the one who signed the marriage contract on my behalf since I have not come of age. As to the theft, both my brother Ron and my mother were also receiving funds from the Potter Vaults from Dumbledore. He was also using it to fund the Order of the Phoenix, however as far as I'm aware the only members who knew where the money was from was my mother, Arabella Figg, Sturgis Podmore, and Mundungus Fletcher." Ginny answered. Kauffman nodded to Madame Bones, satisfied with the information.

Harry lowered his head, he had feared that Mrs. Weasely was involved, since he had learned of Ron and Ginny's betrayal but he had hoped the woman that had treated him like her own son wasn't aware of their actions. However given the evidence, it was clear that she was involved in his betrayal.

Disgusted he turned his attention to the Madame Bones as the healer administered the antidote to the truth serum. Much to his amusement, not a single hand was raised to declare her innocent. Not really surprising since, to the wizard world, where blood lines and titles played such a major role, the charge of line theft was considering one of the most horrendous crimes and none would risk siding with a girl with no titles, wealth or political power over such as severe charge, for fear that it would damage their standing.

"Miss Ginevra Weasely you have been sentenced to life in Azkaban." Madame Bones announced her voice cold. The red head's eyes widen in shock and she began to struggle.

"How dare you touch me you cretins. I am suppose to be the next Lady Potter. You have no right to do this to me. Once Harry comes to his sense he'll make you pay for this" She screamed as the dragged her out of the room.

"Deluded to the last," Harry murmured softly. His lawyer nodded, rubbing his temples as he tried to ignore the loud shrieks, that could still be heard even after the door closed.

"Thank you for your assistance," Harry said, nodding to his lawyer. The man had done an excellent job, both in former headmasters trial and the questioning of the Weasels. The older man returned the nod politely.

"It was my pleasure Lord Potter. Rest assured that I will be contacting my legal department and the matter of the others involved in this mess will be looked into. Miss Weasely's testament should be far more then enough to insure that they are brought before they court." Kauffman promised, his eyes gleaming with determination.

"That would be most appreciated." Harry answered smirking. He was glad Lucius had recommend the man, he had no doubt that he would see that justice was assured. The older man bowed slightly and left. A few seconds later Lucius took his place.

"I don't suppose you have another portkey?" Harry asked hopefully. Lucius shook his head grimacing.

"No I afraid not. If you don't give the general populace something we might lose their support." Lucius explained. Harry sighed. He remembered all to well how quick the Daily Prophet had turned on him during fourth year when he tried to stay out of the spot light. They couldn't afford to have that happen again at the moment.

"Well I guess I will have to dig out some of my supposed Gryffindor courage and face the hordes," he muttered.

"Perhaps some Slytherin charm would be a better choice," Lucius murmured, looking horrified at the mention of the house of lions. Harry snickered.

"Well I guess we will have to see if the hat was right when it said I would do well in Slytherin," Harry said as he headed towards the doors, Lucius stepping in behind him.

"I guess we will, My Prince." Lucius whispered to softly for the teen to hear, as he followed the younger man out into the light.

* * *

God I love Lucius. He's generally fun to write.

Ginny finally got her due. I thought she was a crazy stalker in the series, and well I decided to take it to the extreme.

Please review. It makes me happy. Especially when my teachers are trying to work me to death and I don't get my fanfic fix.

Feel free to point out any errors. English may be my first language but it doesn't mean I'm any good with it.


	34. Princes and Reporters

Ok, let me first say that this story keeps running off on its own. That being said this should be finished before Christmas. At long last I know.

On a different note there will be a new poll regarding turning this into a Lucius/snape/harry fic. If I get enough votes I'll figure out how to get Lucius divorced. This wasn't originally in my plan. Its actually this chapter that made me consider it. Like I said, this story likes to run away from me. I suggest reading this chapter before you make up your mind. It doesn't really matter to me either way, however there is definitely the potential in this chapter for it. So vote. Love you all.

This story has slash. If you managed to get this far and missed that then I question your intelligence. There is also adult language, violence (something that the last few chapters have been lacking but I promise there will be bloodshed soon), adult situations and other things I'm probably forgetting. Now on with the show.

Oh and I don't own Harry Potter.

* * *

**Chapter 24**

"Mr. Potter, Mr. Potter. Is it true that Albus Dumbledore was stealing from your vaults?" One report demanded from his right. He turned to face the man, only for another to shove his way in front of the first one.

"Was there really an arranged marriage contract between you and Miss Weasely?" the second reporter asked, pen floating magically over a scroll scratching furiously.

"Will you be taking over the Potter Lordship ?" A woman dressed in blue robes shouted from the back of the pack. Harry felt in over his head. There were reports everywhere, and it wasn't just them. The whole courtyard was filled with people eager to hear from the boy-who-lived.

Their questions rained down on Harry to fast for him to answer. Frowning he raised his for silence. He was slightly surprised when he received it. Harry suspected it had a lot to do with the elegant black and silver robes bearing the Potter house crest that Lucius and Severus had talked him into wearing. Lucius had ordered it, Harry still wasn't sure how they had gotten his size, but they made him look regal and several years older.

"Sadly, yes it is true that the former headmaster was stealing from my vaults, a rather large fortune, my account manager estimates it's a little over 150,000 galleons. Fortunately justice has been served and Dumbledore, as well as Mr. and Miss Weasely were sentenced to Azkaban. The Goblins are already looking into getting my money back." Harry explained, his voice cool despite his overwhelming urge to melt into the ground.

"As for the marriage contract. Albus Dumbledore did indeed try to arrange one between myself and Ginevra Weasely. Fortunately not only is the man not my legal guardian, only the head of the Potter house can arrange such things, which of course is as the only remain Potter would be me, so his attempts ended in failure. As for my lordship, I will be taking up that mantle, along with the black title immediately." Harry continued, feeling a bit smug, despite the fact he was uncomfortable. There was something enjoyable about ruining the coots' reputation.

"What about the rumor that Dumbledore placed you with an abuse family?" Someone called from the crowd. Murmurs went up as Harry winced. Considering his next words carefully, Harry started when he felt a hand gently touch his shoulder. A quick glance revealed the person responsible was Lucius. Harry had completely forgotten that the older lord had been following in him in the commotion.

"Its true," Harry answered feeling more confident with the Slytherin's support, "My relatives…disliked magic. Dumbledore forced them to take me in. After I started Hogwarts I alerted him to the situation, however he refused to allow me to leave them. I believe that my relatives feared the magical world would discover the abuse which spared me the worst of it when I was younger, but once I returned from my first year at Hogwarts they came to the conclusion that there would be no repercussions and the abuse greatly worsened." Harry murmured, his voice starting to break as he past memories washed over him and he recalled what his Uncle had done to him.

"If Severus Snape hadn't shown up at my house this summer I would have died from the wounds my Uncle Inflicted," Harry stated softly, causing several people to lean forward to catch his words. The teen shivered slightly as more questions were fired at him about how he was treated. Seeing that the younger man was at his limit Lucius stepped forward.

"Lord Potter has undergone a difficult ordeal today and is no doubt ready to retire. If you have any more questions I'm sure that the ministry would be happy to release the records for recent trials." Lucius interrupted smoothly. He adjusted his grip on Harry's shoulder and the teen felt the older mans wash over him, incase them both.

"I believe its time to go," Lucius murmured softly. The two disappeared with a soft pop, leaving the reports and the rest of the crowd on the court yard stairs, staring at the stop the two of them vacated.

Feeling somewhat distorted after the abrupt departure it took Harry a few seconds to recognize the elegant room, with a roaring fire, as one of the many lounges in his grandfather's manor. Once he was sure that he could walk without fear of falling over he approached one of the large black leather chairs surrounding the fire place. Tiredly he sank down in it, the day's emotional drainage finally catching up with him.

"Are you alright my Prince?" Lucius asked as he approached the teen, slumped down in the chair, concerned by how pale and tired the teen looked.

"Yes, just really tired, its been a long-Wait! What did you just call me?" Harry asked, confused. His puzzlement only grew as the silver haired lord kneeled before him, with his head bowed and a hand across his chest.

"The Dark Lord is my liege. I have given him my oath of loyalty. As his grandson and heir I Lord Malfoy hereby pledge myself and my house's loyalty and service to you as well." The Slytherin swore solemnly. Harry felt the older mans magic swirl around him at the Slytherin's words, tying them together and binding the blonde to his oath.

Harry gapped at the man at his feet, too stunned to say anything. Lucius suddenly pledging his services and loyalty was not how he was expecting this day to end. While he knew little of laws and traditions of the wizarding world even he realized how major swearing loyalty was. There was no doubt that in the teen's mind that Lucius's own magic would hold him to the oath.

" Why?" he asked at last, his voice uncertain, barely more then a whisper. While he understood that Lucius was loyal to his grandfather and as such might be incline to obey or at least respect him as the Dark Lord's heir, by swearing his loyalty to Harry the blond haired lord had basically given himself two masters. Should Harry and his grandfather ever come into conflict it would put the older man in a extremely difficult situation, that could end up being fatal, since he was sworn to obey them both.

"Perhaps it was a rash, Gryffindor move on my part. However you have had many who you trusted betray you. Among them were those who were supposed to be the ones you could trust the most, such as your relatives. I wanted to insure that you never had to fear my betrayal. I have watched you since I learned of your abuse at the hands of your relatives and have discovered you are a powerful wizard, cunning and resourceful and loyal to those who stand by you. You have earned my respect and my loyalty, My Prince." Lucius explained as he raised his head, causing silver eyes to met emerald ones.

"Thank you," Harry whispered, awed by the man's dedication. While he wasn't sure how he felt about having the older Lord as his, vassal?, he incredibly grateful for the man's support and loyalty. Despite his rage and disgust at what his relatives, Dumbles, Ginny and Ron had done apart of him, after years of mental abuse and emotion manipulation, still feared that they were right and that he was a freak that need controlled. It would take more then the few months that had past in order to heal all the damage that they had caused.

Standing Lucius stepped closer to the shocked teen. Before either could say anything the door swung open and several people dressed in death eater robes stepped in causing the two of them to freeze and turn to stare at the intruders.

"Lucius? I didn't know you were here. I thought you were at the Ministry. Wait who is that?" A distinctly male voice asked as hazel eyes landed on Harry. The man in question was taller the Lucius and more muscular, with long brown hair in a pony tail that Harry had learned to identify as a trait common among pure bloods. Another man that Harry didn't recognize, but bore many similarities to the man who spoke, despite being far thin, hovered nervously to his left.

"Potter?" A voice questioned, incredulously, as a woman that Harry immediately recognized as Narcissa Malfoy stepped from behind the two men.

"That's impossible. Why would Potter be in here in the Dark Lord's domain?" the fourth and final member of the grouped that had entered snapped. Harry almost choked when he saw her. She looked incredibly like Sirus.

"I suppose that introductions are in order," Lucius said, resisting the urge to sigh. With the exception of himself, Draco and Severus none of the other members knew about Harry's heritage and shift in sides. Dumbledore had some how learned of several of the Dark lords plans and unless it became possible to discover the leak the Dark Lord had deemed it best to keep everything a secret until the meddling old coot was thrown in Azkaban.

"This is of course my wife, Narcissa, the black haired woman standing on her left is her sister Bellatrix Lestrange. Rodolphus is Bella's husband," Lucius explained gesturing, first to his wife, Bellatrix and then bulkier of the two men. "And of course Rabastan is his younger brother." Harry nodded slightly in understanding, never taking his eyes off of the four in front of him, who had watched in confusion as Lucius had introduced them. Harry suspected it was Lucius's deferential manner that had thrown them.

"As Narcissa said this is Lord Harrison Potter." Lucius stated coolly, though Harry noted that the slytherin had moved between himself and the other death eaters and suspected the older man was preparing for an attack. A part of him not analyzing the situation was amazed that the other man was willing to fight his family in order to protect him.

"And why is the so called boy-who-lived in our Lord's Manor?" Bellatrix asked venomously as she drew her wand.

"He is here because I wish it and I promise you Bellatrix that you will pay dearly if you hurt my grandson." A cold whisper promised from the door way entrance. Shocked the four death eaters turned to see the Dark Lord standing behind them, wand in hand.

* * *

LOL yes a cliffy. It gets worse I'm afraid. I'm not going to update until I know whether or not this is going to be a Lucius/Sev/Harry or not. So get voting. Either review or go to my profile and take the poll.

Love you all…. Please don't kill me.


	35. Petition

Greetings to the fine folk that moderate our site.

Myself, along with many, have been writing and posting on your fine site for years now, some of the better examples of up and coming writers out there are now suddenly finding some of the stories we've come to love at risk of being removed without the chance to even rectify our errors.

For some, that means the permanent loss of a story. While I don't have anything that I believe violates your terms of use, there are those out there that are never able to recover a story in its original form, this is something I find to be almost worthy of a legal action, as while we cannot claim ownership of a character, the stories are OURS and simply destroying them is something that is inexcusable.

It's quite easy to simply add an MA rating, additional filters or even a simple requirement for a free membership to read the stories presented here, and would cut down on hateful anonymous reviews and posts at the same time, so I have to question as to why such a thing, in all this time, simply wasn't added.

If you're worried about falsification of a registration then have an appropriate disclaimer and then there can be no dispute, you took your steps and the PARENTS didn't monitor their children, if that is even your concern. If it is more of a personal view or desire then please at least let people know and give them a chance to remove a story that you and yours find offensive, most people on the site are actually rather cordial when it comes to such requests.

While I cannot say for sure if this letter will even reach those that may be willing to listen, of if it's more akin to a wide spectrum purge in preparation for something bigger, please understand that you are going to be losing a LARGE number of your writers, and thus your income from a lack of readers if there is not some level of action taken to help with this situation.

For those that may agree with this, please feel free to sign on and send this to the support server, maybe we can get some movement on this.

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If you could do what some other authors have done and post this petition as a temporary new chapter on some of your stories to help spread the word? It would help a lot it's how I found out about this.

* * *

ChaoticNightofFlames

LOL I am happy to add names but if you have a story and are interested in joining the petition please add it to a new chapter as well

Also note that in the case of this being deleted I will be adding it to several other sites including Adultfanfiction under the same user name. So just google me.


	36. All hail the Prince

I'm back. Did you all miss me? Want to kill me for taking too long? I admit, I wasn't quite sure how I wanted to finish off this story, that's part of the reason it's taken so long.

I do not own Harry Potter. If I did Severus would never had died.

This story has violence, rape, slash and probably some other adult themes I forgetting. How did you make it this far and not notice?

"My Lord?" Bellatrix gasped, completely confused by the sudden appearance of the Dark Lord. The other death eaters were also thrown off balance. It was Narcissa who registered the Dark Lords words first. Incredulously she turned to stare at Harry.

"Grandson?" She whispered, staring at the green eyed teen standing next to Lucius. The other death eaters turned to stare at Harry as well. Harry had no doubt that they had noticed the protective way Lucius was standing before him.

"Yes, my grandson," Tom confirmed, looking rather proudly at Harry. The teen resisted the urge to preen. It was strange having a family member that was proud of him and didn't hate his guts.

"We recently discovered that my daughter did indeed survive and was adopted by two muggles. You would know her better as Lily Evans. How this took place is still a mystery, however I suspect Dumbledore is somehow responsible." Tom explained, looking rather annoyed. Not really surprising to Harry, even though he had yet to hear of it, seemed like Dumbledore had made it his life mission to ruin both the Dark Lords and Harry's life.

"I apologize, my Lord, I didn't know," Narcissa murmured, bowing low, first to the Dark Lord, then to Harry. She shot Lucius a dark look, looking rather annoyed. Looking rather pale at the thought that they had threatened the dark lord's grandson, the others quickly followed suit. Harry blushed as they each bowed before him. He had thought that the stares he got as the boy-who-lived was bad.

Seeing his discomfort, Lucius placed a hand on the younger man's shoulder. Harry smiled slightly up at the older man. He wasn't sure how he was going to handle this new relationship, with the older man, but there was no doubt he appreciated the support. It helped that Lucius was Severus's best friend. If Severus trusted him, then Harry did.

Despite how flustered he was with the attention, Harry still noticed the second dirty look Narcissa sent Lucius when the older man had reached for him. While being upset about not being told, might have explained first look, he wasn't sure what prompted the second.

"If you excuse me my Prince, I should probably speak to my wife, as well as her sister and two brother in-laws. They no doubt wish to be filled in, about the current situation." Lucius murmured, bowing slightly. The older man withdrew from his spot by Harry's side and ushered the others out of the room. Both Harry and Tom watched them leave.

"My Prince?" The dark lord asked amused. Harry sighed, shrugging. He should have known that his grandfather would have caught that. The man was a Slytherin after all.

"Lucius sorted of decided to pledge his loyalty to me. Not completely sure why he decided he wanted a teenager as his lord." Harry answered softly, not sure how to explain Lucius's reasoning, when he wasn't sure about it himself.

"Interesting, Lucius is not one to pledge his support, much less his complete loyalty. I wonder what promoted this decision." Tom murmured, looking thoughtful. The dark lord gestured towards one of the chairs by the fire place. Another fire place, Harry had to wonder if the person who had built the mansion was obsessed with them. There were everywhere room practically. The dark leather chairs however were likely Tom's doing.

"As interesting as Lucius's sudden pledge is, we need to discuss the next phase of our plan. Now that Dumbledore's been arrested its time to move on Hogwarts and the Ministry. Without Dumbledore's support in the election coming up, not to mention his rather public screw ups, it is unlikely he will be able to gain support needed to win. Especially since I planned to having Lucius running against him." Tom explained to Harry as he took a seat on the couch. Harry sat down next him.

"No doubt, the support of the boy-who-lived would help matters. Especially if I make a public announcement Fudge tried a teenager in a full court for protection himself and looked the other way when Dumbledore appointed himself my guardian." Harry reasoned out loud, immediately knowing what his grandfather was thinking.

"Yes it would. So too would the knowledge that Lucius helped the boy-who-lived get justice against those who had so grievously wronged, even going so far as to loan out his family's lawyer. So will you help?" Tom asked seriously, looking at the younger man.

Grateful that his grandfather was offering him a choice Harry nodded. He had no problem helping Lucius become Minister. He had no doubt that the Slytherin would make a better Minister the Fudge. Of course a monkey would probably do a better job.

"Lucius's lawyer is already working on pressing charges on the rest several the order members. It would be easy enough to drag Fudge into it." Harry commented thoughtfully, already calculating how to play this out. Perhaps it was not normal way family's spent time together but sitting here, calculating the best way to take over the wizard world, Harry couldn't help feel a warm glowing as he sat next to his grandfather discussing plans.

Harry was starting to love the owls. It was hard to believe that he was back in school. Things had been rather different since he had gotten back. The whole school was subdued after Dumbledore's arrest. A few had given Harry glares, generally the children of the old man's closest supports, but most of the school had been sympathetic.

Of course those articles in the newspaper regarding Dumbledore released by a healer, who was a loyal to the dark lords cause, released a report declaring the man mentally unstable. Not that the public was aware of the fact the Healer was in Voldemort's back pocket.

Not that Harry thought it would be hard to prove the man was off his rocker. In fact if the man was sane he would eat the sorting hat. Without Salt no less.

However today's article wouldn't be about Dumbles. It was about Lucius's decision to run for Minister. There was also supposed to be an article regarding Lucius helping Harry. Harry was really looking forward to the Slytherins reaction. So far, outside of Draco, none of them were aware of Harry's status as the Dark Lord Heir.

Something Voldemort meant to fix this very evening. Without Dumbledore there it was much easier for both himself and those who are loyal to Voldemort to sneak out. Voldemort was going introduce him to the rest. Well at least his inner circle and some of the others he trusted most, plus some of the students currently at Hogwarts.

He needed help if he was going to lay the foundation for a takeover of Hogwarts. Who better to help him then the house that prided itself of cunning? Though he wasn't sure how he was going to handle all the "respect" that came with being the Dark Lord's heir. The bowing from the few death eaters he had already met and Lucius habit of calling him My Prince was bad enough.

It was immediately clear who had read the news and who hadn't. Many of the Slytherins were giving Harry calculating looks. Others were staring at him in confusion. Harry smirked slightly, he had once again thrown the cat in among the owls and it was about to get even better.

There, right on cue, Draco got up and started to make his way over. Muttering followed the Slytherin Prince as he strode proudly toward the Gryffindor table.

"Lord Potter," the blonde teen greeted, politely in the way that was considered standard among the aristocrat. Harry returned the slight bow with one of his is own.

"Heir Malfoy," Harry responded politely, "Can I assist you?" He asked, sounding curiously. He almost snickered as he heard several gasps.

"I want to thank you for supporting my father's campaign. A truce?" Draco asked, offering his hand, his voice pitched to carry. Harry pretended to think it over.

"Considering what your father has done for me a truce and my support is the least I can do. If it wasn't for him and his lawyer I might have never gotten justice," Harry answered after a few seconds, smiling. He reached forward and firmly shook his hand.

Perhaps tonight wouldn't be as bad as he thought.

He was right it wasn't as bad he thought, it was worse and his grandfather had yet to do the introduction. So far he had basically just been stared at while the others there wondered who he was and why he was wearing a gold mask, while the dark lord had addressed them. Harry suspected it was a play on his house. The man had a strange sense of humor. Either way, it stood out among all the black, silver, white, and green that filled the room.

At least both Lucius and Severus were with him. Severus stood on his right, his face covered in a silver mask that proclaimed him a member of Tom's elite. He wore a black robe, embodied in green and white swirls that looked rather like curled snakes, something Harry suspected was on purpose. Lucius stood on his left, hair pulled back in a ponytail, in a rich silver-white robe that featured a black dragon entwined around his shoulder. Unlike Severus he had his mask up, as he sipped a glass a wine, silver eyes threatening anyone that got to close.

Between the two of them, no one had dared approach him, something that was quite a relief for the teen. He might be on his grandfather's side now, but these people had seen him as an enemy for years. He wasn't sure how some of them would react.

Severus shifted slightly, turning Harry noticed his grandfather approaching, Bellatrix trailing behind him, looking like a kicked puppy. Lucius had told him about the woman's obsessive devotion and love for the dark lord, despite his multiple rejections of her advances. However seeing was a lot different than hearing about it. Harry wondered how his grandfather had refrained from cursing her into oblivion.

"My Lord," Severus and Lucius murmured as one, bowing before their Lord. Unlike the two older Slytherins Harry didn't bow, he simply stood there waiting. Several murmurs broke out; however the Dark Lord ignored them. Stepping forward he placed a hand on Harry's shoulder and led the teen towards the front of the room.

"My loyal followers, recently the light has taken a great blow. Many of you have noticed Harry Potter's revolt against Dumbledore, which result in the so called leader of light being sentenced to Azkaban. Well not only has he turned against the old fool, the boy-who-lived has joined the dark side." Voldemort announced, before reach out and removing Harry's mask. Many of the death eaters gasped and Harry could tell that many of them were wondering both about his recent actions and his reasons for joining.

"There is more my friends. Some of you might remember a young woman by the name of Marianna Towers," Voldemort continued, "well I have recently discovered that before she was killed she gave birth to a child, my daughter, who many of you knew as one Lily Evan-Potter. I have declared, her son, my grandson, Harry James Potter my heir." The dark lord announced proudly, to an utterly silent room. Despite, his misgiving, Harry couldn't help but feel happy that his grandfather was not only accepting him, but proud to do so.

"All hail the Dark Lord. All hail the Prince." A voice murmured, breaking the silence. Harry immediately recognized it as Lucius. He turned to look at the older man, only to find watch him kneel, head bowed, Severus seconds behind him. Much to the teen's surprise, the other death eaters copied him the two. As one they uttered the same words. Harry repressed a groan. This was _soo_ much worse.

Longer chapter then the last few, sort of an apology for taking so long. Not much left. As for my Severus/Lucius/Harry poll. Well the threesome won by a lot but I got some really good reasons not to do it. So I've decided that this story will stay S/H. That being said I plan to create a second version with h/s/l. There won't be too many differences, except in the last couple of chapters, however the rating will be higher and some of the chapters are going to be more graphic. I'll probably add a bit more interaction with Lucius in the earlier chapters, but nothing too much. I probably won't post in on here. I've started posting it on adultfanfiction under the same name if you want to check it out.


	37. The Order of the Fried Chicken

Well I have good news and bad news. The good news is that I finally found another beta. Celebrate all of you out there who read this and aren't grammar challenged like myself. SchroedingersKat is now making this story readable. Its she amazing. (Please note that author crap at the top and bottom are not apart of what she cleans up and are still at risk of being butchered)

The bad news is that chapter is kind of short. That and I'm pretty sure that there are only about 3 more chapters after this and this story will be done.

*sobs*Its been soooo long since I started this. 2005 I think.

I don't own it. If I did, Harry wouldn't not have ended up with the fangirl.

Beware of yaoi, violence, rape, and other adult themes. Actually, most of the last chapters have been mild, its the first ones you have to watch out for.

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Chapter 37

Harry knew that this would eventually happen and that it was only a matter of time before the Order of Fried Chicken managed to recover from the loss of its leader and several members and confront him. However why in the bloody hell did it have to be today. He had barely gotten any sleep, since he had been up all night being introduced to death eaters and other supporters of his grandfather's cause. The last thing he needed was to deal with was a group of back stabbing sheep.

Yet here they were standing in front of him. He should have known something was up when the new headmistress had called him into her office. Yet, he hadn't expected to find himself surrounded; perhaps he had spent too much time with the Gryffindors, because he hadn't thought that they would try and confront him at the school. Clearly he was giving them too much credit for brains. Of course they weren't aware of his Slytherin inheritance however surely they realized that the wards on the school would protect him.

After all, almost immediately after the old coot had been removed, the board members, Lucius in the lead, had appeared at the school, with a group of curse breakers and ward crafters in tow. Apparently, the events that had happen to him during his years at school should not have been possible due to the wards. He wasn't even slightly surprised to learn that Dumbledore had somehow negated the wards surrounding him. Of course his grandfather could do the same thing as one of the founder's heirs, but that didn't explain several other attacks on his life, including Umbitch and Dementors. Nope that was all Dumbles doing.

However Dumble's meddling had been wiped clean and none of the other members of the order had the kind of power necessary to override them, especially now that he was a student. According to Lucius it was easier to set such things up before Hogwarts acknowledged him as a student and thus someone to be protected. It was unlike that even the coot had the kind of power necessary to change them now.

So really, cornering him in the school was really not in their best interest. However it seemed like somebody had forgotten to tell them that. Moody was already glaring at him, wand in hand, and nothing had even been said yet.

"Headmistress, you wished to speak to me?" Harry asked, with forced politeness, when nobody said anything. He wanted to get this over with, he hadn't had a chance to see Severus today and he missed his lover.

"Ah, yes…" She trailed of hesitant, glancing at the others. Apparently this particular meeting wasn't her idea.

"You know exactly why you're here boy," Moody snarled, raising his wand threatening. Several months ago, Harry would have panicked and either drawn his and cast or tried to make a run for it. However between his lover, grandfather and Lucius he had much better control over his emotions and a great deal of confidence. So instead of responding rashly, he turned to stare at the man coolly.

"No, I do not. I was informed that the headmistress wanted to speak to me about something academic. However at the moment that does not appear to be the case, since I highly doubt you are here about my grades, especially considering you spent your single year as a teacher tied up in the bottom of a trunk."

"Don't be dense boy; this is about you turning on Dumbledore," Moody, snarled, practically spitting in Harry's face.

"And for what you did to my children," Molly spat at him. Harry turned to look at her. He caught sight of her husband standing behind her. But instead of glaring at him like the others in the room, the man looked ashamed, though he was hiding it pretty well. Perhaps not everyone in the order blamed him for the coot's arrest.

"All I did was report a series of crimes. It's not like I forced them to commit the crimes they did." Harry answered coolly. Moody glared at the younger man, before spitting out a curse. The yellow curse sped towards Harry, before hitting a silvery shield. Harry sent a quick mental thanks to Hogwarts for the protection.

"Attacking a student?" Harry asked, looking around, to note that nobody moved and that there was annoyance and disappointment, in all but Arthur's and the headmistress's eyes, "In Hogwarts's no less. You are aware that it is against the law and that I will of course have to inform my lawyer." He continued.

Before Mad Eye Moody or one of the others could respond the door flew open to reveal Professor Flitwick. The Ravenclaw head paused momentarily frowning when he saw who was in the room, before turning to the Headmistress.

"Minerva, there is Madam Bones in the Great Hall with several Aurors, it seems the Albus has escaped Azkaban." The short man explained, sounding rather out of breath. Harry froze at the words, as the Order hurried out of the room. He barely even noted when Mr. Weasley paused to whisper an apology in his ear.

It was a few long painful hours later that Harry managed to escape the Gryffindor common room and sneak down into Severus's room. Classes for the day had been cancelled due to the chaos. Aurors had questioned both the Order Members who had been at the school thanks to their attempt to interrogate Harry and the teachers. Harry doubted they'd get anything. Dumbles was too cunning to leave behind any clues in Hogwarts.

The school had basically split into three groups, Dumbledore's loyal supports, those who supported the man's arrest, which included the deatheaters, and lastly those who were unsure where they stood. Fortunately, the old coots supporters were a minority, many had been shaken by the crimes the man had committed, however that didn't stop them from trying to torment Harry.

The most they had dared to do was yell taunts as Harry's spot at the top of defense as well as his position as a Lord of two Houses was enough to prevent anyone from directly attacking him. However it was a relief when he finally managed to get away and see Severus.

The older man was pacing in front of the fire place when Harry approached, and the older man turned and wrapped his arms around the teen. Harry sunk into his embrace.

"I'm sure you've heard about Dumbledore's escape by now. We should have known it was too easy, that he wouldn't go down without a fight." Severus murmured, as he held the younger man.

"Merlin, I hate that man," Harry whispered, pressing his head against his lover's chest. The idea that Dumbledore was once again on the loose and would no doubt be after him was not something he liked thinking about. While he didn't doubt that his lover and new family and friends would protect him, it didn't stop him from fearing the man who had caused him so much pain.

"Don't worry love, the Dark Lord will see that he is put down this time," Severus promised, before pressing a kiss to lover's forehead. Harry turned to look up at the dark eyed man. Seeing the love in the man's normally closed off expression, he pressed a kiss to his lips.

Sensing the teen needed reassurance, Severus immediately deepened the kiss. After a few minutes of ravaging the young man's mouth, he pulled back, smirking at the sight before him. Forgotten were the worries about Dumbledore, instead the teen was flushed with desire, lips red from the kissing and his green eyes glazed over in pleasure.

"Spend the night?" The Slytherin purred in the teen's ear. Harry was unable to do more than nod as the darker man wrapped his arms around the more slender teen and dragged him from the room.

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LOL Cliffy

Actually this scene won't be continued in this story. I've decided that I'm going to try and finish this fic without fanfiction tossing it out the window. That being said the ss/hp/lm version is already more graphic. You can find it on the adultfanfiction site under the same pen name and title. Its under the threesome/moresome section if you are interest. Still only on like chapter 5 but is some changes. There will be more later, however I probably won't focus to much on it until after this is finished sometime around christmas. Love you all. Please Review otherwise I will let Dumbles do terrible things to Severus.


	38. Returning to the nightmare

Hello. Sorry this took so long. For once it wasn't because I didn't have time or got distracted by something else. This chapter was really hard to write. Kept getting writer's block.

You can thank my wonderful beta SchroedingersKat for making this readable. You should have seen it before.

Disclaimer: I didn't invent the Harry potter world. I just borrowed it cause its fun...

Warning: Um try reading the ones for the first 37 chapters, its the same thing.

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Chapter 38

Harry put his fork down on the plate before him, sighing. The sound echoed through the rather large room, fortunately not the dining room, with its monstrous table and brilliant chandelier, but a slightly less imitating room designed for entertaining guests. Next to him sat Lucius at the head of the table and Severus had a seat across from him. A quick glance at the clock, a lovely thing with a crescent moon in mother of pearl adorning its face, told him that it was time to leave, to see what the Dark Lord wanted.

Peter had arrived earlier to tell Harry and Severus that Voldemort had called a meeting regarding Dumbledore's escape. They had been enjoying a bite to eat, at least that was Lucius had called it, Harry however considered it far closer to a gourmet meal, and discussing how to improve the success of Lucius campaign for Minister, something that had been going quite well with the boy-who-lived's support, when the rat arrived to inform them that the Dark Lord had requested their presence in an hour.

The man had quickly fled right after, leaving the three men to their debate. However it was only a few minutes before the man was expecting their presence and he knew both his lover and Lord Malloy wouldn't be comfortable making their Lord wait. Standing, he sent the wonderful food one last wishful glance, before he stepped into the arms of his lover who had gracefully risen the minute he had seen the younger man set his fork down. Together the three of them vanished with a pop from Malfoy Manor only to reappear seconds later at their destination. A horrible place Harry knew far too well.

The meeting place was the Dursley's house; or rather the remains of it, a large portion had been burned down in the flames. Apparently the Dark Lord had found something there that he thought would help him catch Dumbles. Severus and Lucius had discussed whether their Lord had found some trace of the old coots magic that could be used to track him; however neither of them knew for certain what the Dark Lord had found.

The house was dark; apparently nobody wanted to buy it. Not surprising considering what had happened there. Not that the muggles knew what exactly had happened, beyond the fact that there had been some mysterious deaths. Still, that didn't do much for the real estate value.

The three of them approached the house in silence. A quick spell got them past the locked door. Looking around Harry suppressed a wince. He had almost died here on more than one occasion after all.

"The Dark Lord wouldn't have called us here if it wasn't completely necessary," Severus murmured, placing a hand on the younger man's shoulder. Harry smiled up at his lover and nodded slightly. He could stand being here if it meant the end of Dumbles.

Catching sight of a man leaning against the wall wrapped in a black cloak, Harry started toward him, Severus and Lucius following. The minute they got closer, Harry immediately saw that the man was too short to be the dark lord. He could feel the two men next to him shift and he knew that they had both reached for their wands. The teen followed suit, as the man turned towards them.

Recognition followed by disgust filled Harry as he caught sight of the face of Peter Pettigrew. Despite the fact that the man worked for his grandfather, he hadn't forgiven the man who had betrayed his parents. It was one thing after all to kill those who were on the other side of a war; however the man had been their friend and had stabbed them in the back. It wasn't something Harry had any intention of forgiving.

"Ah so you are here," a voice called from behind them. Harry spun around in time to see the two Slytherins' step between him and the threat before he caught sight of red eyes glowing in the darkness. A chuckle filled the air as the Dark Lord stepped out of the shadows. Lucius and Severus relaxed when they realized that the voice had come from their lord.

"Trying to scare us all out of our wits, My Lord?" Severus asked sarcastically, lowering his wand. "Some of us don't have many to spare," he continued, smirking at Lucius. The blonde rolled his eyes, used to his friend's snarky comments.

"What, afraid of the dark?" the Dark Lord asked, softly. Harry snorted, after all the time he had spent locked in the cupboard in the dark; it was the last thing that scared him. He knew first hand that it was the people and not some bogy man that you had to be afraid of.

"So why exactly are we are we here?" Harry asked looking around, he hated this place. The burnt remains of the house made the place even worse, like some twisted nightmare. Frankly he would be happy if he never went near the place again.

"When strong magic is cast it tends to leave marks, especially if there is emotion of any kind behind it. In magical places like Hogwarts or Diagon Alley there are so many wizards casting magic that it can be difficult to track specific traces back to their casters. However here we have a clean trace, since there are only a few wizards who have used their magic here." The Dark Lord explained, his eyes gleaming.

"And what do we need trace remains of magic for?" Harry asked. This is the first time he had ever heard of something like this. Not that it meant anything; his grandfather probably knew lots of ancient forgotten magic like this. At least he assumed it was a forgotten art, judging by the confusion on his lover and Lucius faces.

"It's not used often now, since it is so difficult to find an untainted trail of magic among all the magic that builds up in places the magic population frequents, and it's rare that any serious crimes are committed in the muggle world, however at one point, when the magic population was less clustered together, magical traces were used in a variety of spells, including ones to track the one who left the trace," Voldemort explained. Lucius nodded once, his face shifting from confusion to understanding and triumph. Severus on the other hand looked down right vicious, no doubt plotting what he would do to the old coot, when they found him.

"Tracking isn't the only thing that the magic residue can be used for even if it was certainly the most commonly used. Magic is, as you well know, as much a part of a wizard as their blood. However, one wizard discovered that the traces could be used in much the same ways as blood is in spells and rituals." Voldemort continued, softly, almost like he was speaking to himself, his eyes unfocused.

"My Lord?" Lucius asked confused by the shift in conversation. The dark lord shook himself slightly, as if to escape a past memory. Before the dark lord could respond a second figure stepped out of the shadows. Harry suppressed a snarl as he caught sight of Peter Pettigrew. The man looked nervous, but then the he always did. There was a reason the rat was his animagus form after all. What purpose the Dark Lord could want him here for he had no clue.

"Peter," The Dark Lord sneered, "I trust you have prepared everything?" The man nodded groveling at the Dark Lord's feet.

"Then you know what comes next!" Voldemort murmured, his eyes glittering in the darkened room. Peter paled drastically, his form trembling. His eyes darted around the room before he nodded once shakily. Reaching into a pocket he pulled out his wand. In a sudden motion born more from years of fleeing then any true skill, he flung a spell at Lucius.

Not expecting it, the silver haired man toppled. Instinctively Harry stepped back, raising his wand, but before he could cast a spell, Severus beat him to the punch, binding the man with an incantation Harry vaguely recognized as an advanced binding spell. The man crumbled to a heap on the floor.

"What idiotic notion would cause such a spineless coward to suddenly turn traitor, in the Dark Lord's presence no less?" Severus wondered out loud, "he couldn't believe he had any chance to succeed in his endeavor."

Harry shook his head in confusion as his lover stepped towards Lucius, wand raised. Before he could respond a blue bolt slammed into the taller man. Horrified, he watched him sink to his knees, crumpling down next to the other Slytherin.

Senses dulled by the sight, he barely caught sight of a second bolt before it slammed into him. He collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut, the world fading in and out around him.

"He did so on my orders," the Dark Lord murmured, approaching the teen. Harry was helpless to do anything as he fell into unconsciousness to the sound of the Dark Lord's laughter.

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Yeah, tried really hard to make that a shock. It was hard trying to word this chapter without completely blowing the surprise ending. I think I did an ok job. Next chapter is started so it shouldn't take as long.

review, please...


	39. When it Rain's it Pours

OMG don't look now but its an update. Rather longer one, for me anyway. I felt bad about the cliffy so I figures I would post this. My lovely beta got it legible rather quickly too, so here it is.

I don't own Harry Potter, which is why I am not worth almost a billion dollars. Sucks to be me.

Warning- Same as the last 38 chapters. Not to mention I have basically all my adult items in the first chapter, so its kind of hard to miss.

Now on with the show, or at least the story.

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Chapter 39

A dull red glow forced its way through Harry' s consciousness, its light forcing its way past the protection of his eye lids. Stirring slightly Harry opened his eyes to the dull red glow, wondering why his cousin's alarm clock was in his room, before past events caught up with him.

Jerking up he discovered that the glowing wasn't coming from any alarm clock but instead a cluster of glowing, red runes carved in a series of circles. The four inner most circles glowed a brighter red while the following two circles let off a dark, almost blood red glow. The last circle of runes was so dark red it appeared black.

While Harry hadn't taken the Runes class, he had delved into the area during one of his studies and he knew enough to know that these weren't the standard runes taught in school, and that they meant big trouble for him.

Looking around he noted that his wrists were bound by some sort of cuffs made of dull silver and covered in similar runes and his wand was unsurprising not anywhere in sight. He was alone in the small room, which was completely bare, besides the runes and a metal door. Not even a window broke up the repetitive sight of stones.

Standing with some difficulty thanks to the cuffs, he made his way to the door. He wasn't surprised to find that the door was locked; his luck was far too bad for anything else. So basically he was stuck in a room full of creepy glowing runes, that did Merlin knows what, with no clue where his lover and Lucius were and a potentially very dangerous Dark Lord no doubt lurking around, not to mention the bloody rat.

Well, first things first, getting these cuffs off was a priority. Anything he could do to disrupt whatever ritual this was supposed to be the better off he would probably be. It would be a rather interesting test of his wandless magic and runes skills. He'd always been good at trials by fire; hopefully this time would be no different.

In roughly under an hour, he had managed to cause some decent damage and the cuffs lay on the floor. Thinking that it would gain him an advantage if they thought he was still chained, he slipped them into a pocket. Fortunately there had been no interruptions, either he was being under estimated or his higher pain tolerance had allowed him to recover more quickly than the norm. He was betting it was a mix of the two. Still while he appreciated the time to plan, the waiting was setting him on edge.

Fortunately for his nerves if not his continued health, the door swung open a few minutes later and wary emerald eyes met twinkling blue.

"Dumbledore," the teen gasped in shock, barely keeping from stepping forward out of his crouch and revealing that the cuffs had been shattered. The headmaster stepped into the room, wearing a rather garish set of gold and red robes that were so bright they were blinding. Suddenly a few things clicked in Harry's head, such as Peter Pettigrew's weird behavior and Voldemort's rambling.

"The Dark Lord was never there was he?" Harry asked the headmaster warily. The man's eyes twinkled even brighter, which was answer enough for Harry. However, he doubted that the Headmaster would pass up a chance to launch into a speech.

"Ah, yes, it was a brilliant scheme on my part. You see Peter has been working for me for some time now. It was on my command that he sold out your parents, as well as passing on the so called request from Tom. It was of course a trap to lure you out, and you fell for it so easily" Dumbledore explained gleefully, much to Harry's annoyance.

"So you dragged us out there just to trap us?" Harry asked, the Slytherin part of his personality taking over. The more information he could get the better and it wasn't like Dumbles didn't like to talk. Maybe he could find out what the man was planning and where the others were.

"No, my boy, there was more to it than that. I told you the truth earlier about finding traces of magic, though it was Voldemort's and not mine. And of course I don't intend to use it to track him. I did mention that there were other uses. It was actually my old friend Gellert who discovered the other uses. He was quite brilliant, sadly he got too pretentious and tried to take control and I had to get rid of him, such a waste." Dumbledore murmured looking rather disappointed. Harry resisted an urge to roll his eyes.

"Using his discovery he altered an old vengeance ritual to work with the magic," Dumbledore continued, clearly not noticing his audience's annoyance at the babbling, "that would allow him to strip a wizard of his magic, making him little more than a squib. Of course it's not as simple as has just getting a trace. The ritual also requires the use of both the trace and someone who has been effected long term by a spell cast on them by the wizard the trace originated from. And of course there is a major drawback; you see the original ritual drains the life of the caster, quite the price for vengeance. Gellert managed to change it so a second person could cast the ritual using the one bearing the traces of magic as a sacrifice." Dumbledore explained. Harry paled slightly glancing down at the circle.

"Yes my boy, I'm sad to say that it will be necessary to sacrifice you to in order to defeat the Dark Lord," Dumbledore stated, not looking the least bit sad at all, "However I will ensure that you do not die in vain. You will be remembered as the one who helped me defeat the Dark Lord."

Harry's thoughts raced as he tried to remember everything he could about rituals, especially vengeance rituals. Most rituals were very rigid, and a single item missed or the smallest of mistakes could cause them to fail and the consciences could be dire. Changing them could be very difficult, especially the more complex ones, which was no doubt why Gellert wasn't able to alter much.

Unfortunately Dumbles wasn't likely to sit back and let him screw something up. He didn't doubt for a second that the man was skilled and had no doubt used multiple rituals, including this one, before. However it was also clear that the man severely under estimated him.

"What happened to Severus and Lucius?" Harry asked, both out of concern and to keep Dumbledore focused on talking. He didn't think the man had killed them, at least not yet, they would make better hostages than corpses.

"Ah yes, your two _companions. _I must admit I'm quite disappointed in the company you are keeping. They are both locked in a dungeon, no doubt still unconscious. They are far too useful for me to simply throw away. Besides if I killed Lucius now his influence and money would just fall to his son, who would no doubt take his father's place as a thorn in my side. If I keep him alive I can use him to manipulate his son into doing my bidding. As for Severus, well let's just say I have plans for him. He will suffer for his betrayal." Dumbledore answered eyes sparkling brilliantly, a smirk on his face.

"Now, we have chatted long enough. It's time to finish this." Dumbledore murmured. Sensing his chance Harry rushed the man, bowling him over. The two crumpled to the ground in a heap. Before Harry could do anything more he was frozen with a spell and moved to the center of the circles. Dumbledore stood, rage distorting his grandfatherly image.

The man placed his hands together and began to murmur. Unable to move Harry could do nothing but watch as the man started chanting. The runes started to glow brighter and brighter and gold bled into the glow. Magic the color of gold started to rise up and spiral around Harry. Dumbledore reached the end of the chant, dropping his hands to his sides as he watched Harry with murderous glee as a single brilliant red line of magic separated itself from the top of the gold spiral and drifted down.

Suddenly it shot out like an arrow and headed towards Harry at a blinding speed. A second before it struck the teen it suddenly veered off course and slammed into Dumbledore's chest. The older man brought his hands up to where the magic had pierced him in shock. Blood coated his hands as the spiral's magic turned black and collapsed upon itself, unable to complete its purpose without the required elements. With its caster near death, the spell holding Harry released.

"How?" the headmaster whispered as he sank to his knees, life draining from him much like the blood running down the front of his robes. Harry shook his head and held out his arms, drawing the man's attention to a detail he had missed.

"I slipped the cuffs that you had placed on me into the pocket of your robe when I rushed you. I knew, once you explained the origin of the ritual that Gellert would have to have added some elements in order to ensure that it took the life of the person intended, since it would have been far easier than trying to rework the whole ritual." Harry explained coolly, "And it was easy enough to slip them into your pocket without you noticing since I spent most of my childhood having to steal food from the Dursley's if I wanted to eat."

"You never saw me as anything more than a pawn that you could manipulate, incapable of acting on my own. You underestimated what I was capable of. Of course it hardly matters now." The younger man murmured softly as he looked down at the form no longer breathing. Sighing he leaned down and with a look of disgust he searched the man's pockets. To his relief he found his wand as well as two more he was sure belonged to Severus and Lucius.

It took a while to find where Severus and Lucius where being kept. The place, which Harry suspected was the ruins of an abandoned castle that once belonged to Gellert, was like a stone maze. Most of the place was in ruins however he had discovered several stone carvings that depicted a symbol Harry was pretty sure was the former Dark Lord's family crest.

After about two hours of searching he found the dungeon. Rolling his eyes at the cliché he entered the rather dark and dank room. With his wand in front of him, he peered into the cells. Fortunately he found the pair chained up in the third one, the skeletons weren't really doing much for his nerves.

After several failed attempts he managed to open the door with a loud crash, using a simple charm to rust metal, causing the hinges to collapse. Shaking his head over the fact that someone had spelled the doors to withstand force and locking spells but had missed something so obvious he went to check on the two men.

As he stepped closer ebony eyes opened to meet his. Relieved, the Gryffindor rushed forward and hugged his lover.

"Harry?" Severus gasped in surprise as the teen clung to him. Lucius's eyes snapped open at the teen's name. Harry snickered, leave it to Slytherins to take advantage of every opportunity they could. Not that he was sure that faking unconsciousness made much difference when chained to a wall.

"Perhaps you can these bloody things off us?" Lucius demanded, looking every bit the indignant Lord, despite the fact that he was chained to the wall. Harry snorted, stepping back he allowed his eyes to travel down his lovers form.

"I don't know. I rather enjoy the view." Harry murmured, trying not to blush at the suggestiveness of his own words. The man did look rather tempting, his hair in disarray, body pulled taunt by the limited slack the chains gave him.

"If you don't get us down from here now brat, I am going to bend you over my knee and give you a through spanking the first chance I get," Severus whispered dangerously, his voice echoing through the silent room. Unable to stop himself, the younger man blushed a brilliant red, as the image lodged itself in his mind. Without further ado he went about the task of getting the two men free, using the same spell he had used on the door.

"What happened to you after we were knocked unconscious," Severus asked softly as he rubbed his sore wrists. Shattering the final cuff that had been adorning Lucius's leg, Harry turned to the dark haired man.

"It was Dumbledore, he set us up using Peter and disguised himself as Gramps to get us to lower our guard." Harry explained, getting nods from both men. Severus gestured for him to continue.

"He was after me and a trace of my grandfather's magic in order to perform a vengeance ritual Grindelwald altered that would have stripped the Dark Lord's magic and killed me in the process. Unfortunately for Dumbledore I managed to remove the cuffs that designated me as one whose life force the ritual was supposed to drain, and managed to slip them into his pocket. The ritual killed him then collapsed because it didn't have the elements it needed to find its intended target. This was because Dumbledore ended up as the sacrifice and he didn't bear the marks of the Dark Lord's magic needed to complete the ritual" Harry finished, smirking as he recalled how he had managed to trick Dumbledore into basically causing his own downfall.

"As interesting as this is, and as relieved as I am to find that the old coot is finally dead and that the Dark Lord hasn't suddenly gone of his rocker, I really suggest we discuss this later. The décor of this place is dreadful, and these robes are completely ruined. If I spend much more time in this accursed place I fear I will end up as mad as the headmaster." Lucius interrupted, glaring at the dirty cell, like it had personally offended him.

"I'm sorry your highness's delicate sensibility is offended by a bit of dirt, however if you would recall, our wands were taken from us." Severus sneered, rolling his eyes at his best friend's theatrics. Slapping his hand against his head at his forgetfulness, Harry withdrew the wands from his breast pocket. Both men looked extremely relieved to have them back.

"Where were they?" Severus asked his lover curiously, causing the green eyed man to grin viciously.

"Dumbledore had them in a pocket. It was just a hunch I had. Turns out I was right. Rather disturbing rummaging around a dead man's robes though" the younger man explained, shuddering slightly as he recalled searching the old coots clothing.

"He really was an arrogant fool. Only a conceited idiot would have brought the enemy's wand with them and risk them managing to get their hands on it. He must have believed you didn't have a chance of overpowering or outsmarting him." Severus murmured in disbelief.

"Do you think that Dumbledore did his own decorating? While the dungeon strikes me as his style, the place lacks the garish colour's the man favoured!" Lucius stated, his voice dripping with sarcasm, the man's annoyance at the fact that they had not left yet as clear as the cobwebs currently hanging from the ceiling of the cell.

"Fine, we can leave. We need to report to the dark lord about what has transpired any way," Severus said sighing. Harry's eyes lit up with a thought.

"What do you think Gramps is going to do to Peter when he gets his hands on him" the teen asked, looking almost gleeful.

"I can't imagine it will be quick," Severus answered thoughtfully, his eyes gleaming, "perhaps he will allow us to help."

"Well there is only one way to find out," Lucius said smirking. Severus wrapped his arms around the teen and the three of them disappeared with a loud crack, easily apparating through the tattered remains of the wards that had fallen with their caster.

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Well I hope that eased some people's minds. I kind of thought the ritual blowing up was a bit predictable but I'd like to think most people didn't see the whole slipping the cuffs in a pocket a mile away.

Please review, I kinda wanna see if I can get this to 2000 reviews before its done. And look it does sometimes work, after all you got this chapter pretty quick. LOL i felt sooo guilt after looking through the reviews.


	40. To tie an knot or an end

Sorry this took so long, a lot has happened including my computer dying. Love you all for baring with me. This is probably the second to last chapter. Its been a long and strange trip...Or was it a strange and long trip. Oh well :)

Here is your chapter. I'm afraid it isn't that exciting, mostly just tying things up.

Disclaimer- still don't own it. Same items as the last chapters. If you got to this point you already know what to expect.

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The look on his Grandfather's face when Harry calmly announced that Dumbles was dead was almost worth the horror of the last few hours. Ok, it didn't even come close; however the gob-smacked expression was certainly funny. The group of minions, aka death eaters currently sitting at the table with the Dark Lord, where equally shocked, though Harry wasn't sure if it was because of his announcement or the fact that he had the gall to interrupt the Dark Lord's meeting.

"Explain," Tom commanded as he struggled to recover from shock. Too amused by the reaction Harry kept his mouth closed, knowing that Tom would kill him if he snickers. Sighing slightly, Severus stepped forward and explained the events of the last few hours. By the end of the tale, Tom looked torn between anger and pride.

"So the old fool is dead," the dark lord mused, "killed by the very teen he tried to control. It's ironic, really, he continued to underestimate you, Harry, never seeing you as more than a pawn that he could use and control and that was his down fall. I could say it was Karma, if I believed in such things."

Harry nodded, knowing that the Dark Lord was correct. Dumbledore had basically caused his own death, he hadn't seen harry as his own person, just as a tool he could use. However that didn't make his death easier. While Harry couldn't say that he regretted killing the man exactly, the coot had it coming, there was no doubt about that, he wasn't happy about the fact that he was responsible for the man's.

There was blood on his hands now. Something that would never go away and he would have to learn live with that fact. In a way it had been his last piece of innocence, and because of Dumbledore, that too had been torn away from him.

"This will certainly make things easier, with Dumbledore completely gone; his allies should fall into chaos. Even in Azkaban he was still pulling their strings. I believe that now is the best time to strike to at the Order, before they have a chance to regroup. Once we release the news regarding Dumbledore's death, we should press our advantage and arrest the members of his little group." Tom continued, thoughtfully.

Harry sighed as his lover and Lucius where quickly drawn into the conversation. Tired he press a quick kiss to Severus's check, knowing that the three of them would no doubt be discussing this late into the night, and he was far too tired to deal with politics.

It was only three weeks after the kidnapping when Lucius was made Minister. Harry had stood at his side, smiling and shaking hands throughout the whole thing, clearly putting his support behind the older man for all to see. He was once again, the wizard worlds darling, thanks to some great PR and several article releases supplying evidence that Fudge had been trying to make him look bad.

For a while he was afraid that his face would freeze like that, who would have thought that smile for hours would start to hurt. If he never had to do that again it would be too soon. However it is completely worth it when the Slytherin is appointed to the position.

Harry already knew that one of the man's first orders of business would be hunting down the remaining members of the order of phoenix. They had only released what had happened to Dumbledore three days ago. Fortunately one could side effect of Fudge's incompetence was that no one believed the dark lord was back, so the group was taken as a crazy group of vigilantes out to cause trouble and their claims weren't taken seriously.

Lord Voldemort had taken control in the shadows, his minions doing his bidding in mostly legal ways. Already several laws had been passed on the man's command and Hogwarts had a new and much more though curriculum and better teaches had been found to over for those like Trelawney.

Hermione had quickly dived into the new curriculum, with an excitement he hadn't seen in months. She had signed up for several of the new classes offered including warding, politics, and healing and of course she had dragged Harry along with her. He had refused the politics class, because frankly he had his own private teachers in Severus, Lucius and his grandfather; however he had found himself enjoying warding and healing was dead useful, especially considering the trouble he managed to get into.

Harry had been particularly happy and supported of the child protection laws; he wasn't the only wizard who had been abused by fearful muggles after all. Not that he thought all muggles would do that their children, but just one child suffering through what he had was too many.

Already several order member's had been arrested, when they had attacked several lords who may or may not be death eaters, not that the general population was aware of it, in a public place. A rather stupid move on their part, attacking Lords was a big no no, they were responsible for making most of the laws after all, and they had made sure that there were plenty regarding attacks on their person. It was an act born out of desperation, after they had learned of their fallen leader and it was exactly what his Grandfather had hoped would happen.

He had attended the trial though he hadn't been called to the stand. He had gotten some dark glares as he sat between Lucius and Severus, watching as Mad Eye Moody and several other order members were sentenced. Harry was surprised to find that McGonagall had testified.

Apparently she had unearthed some items in the headmaster's office that had completely horrified her and broken her faith in the old coot. Harry wasn't sure of the details but he did know that it had to do with several students and judging by the guilty looks she had shoot him, there had been some things about him. It seems while she might not have believed the results of the trial, she had to accept the truth when it was directly from Dumbles hand, or mind.

Another surprise had been the appearance of Bill Weasley, who had also testified. Apparently not all the Weasley's had blindly followed Dumbles. Apparently both Bill and his brother Charlie and wanted nothing to do with the man. Charlie had basically fled the country to get out of the man' s reach while Bill had taken a more active approach by joining up with the goblins which where apparently allied with Voldemort, which explained the supposed breaking into the vault that had contained the stone back in Harry's first year.

Apparently Bill's dislike of the old goat had been missed by his family, since they had kept him updated on events in the order even passing on evidence with the believe that has a curse breaker he would be able to properly dispose of it, without leaving traces of magic. He of course had done no such thing and instead had stock piled everything. He had even convinced the twins to pass on order information to him after they had quit school and had been officially conducted into the order. His testament and the pile of evidence he had brought with him alone would have been enough to send the order members to Azkaban for years.

With much of the order locked up or soon to be, things were finally started to calm down. School was almost done as well and Harry was looking forward to a nice summer for once, no Dursely's around to make his life miserable.

Lucius had helped him make arrangements for one of his properties, a cottage in France to be made livable again and fully intended to take advantage of it and get away from the stress and chaos and reports that seemed to follow him around here. Severus had already agreed to come with him, the man needed as much of a break as he did, with the Tom running his third in command ragged between teaching classes. Harry fully intended to make the most of the trip with his lover.

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I've said it before and I will say it again, thank you guys for your support and reviews. It really means a lot. Sorry it has taken me so long to get to this point.


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